Last Hope Remaining
by Daisuki.Bear
Summary: When the Kingdom of Alicean was overthrown, freedom and happiness crashed down together with its walls. The people surrendered their joy along, until their lost princess reappears 15 years later. But can such a young princess live up to her expectations? Can she be the one to save them all? Or will she ultimately crumble in defeat, just like her country?
1. Fallen

_Hello there! This is my first fanfic and i hope you enjoy it :)_

_I've made an update to chapter 1 ;) Leave a review to tell me how you think!_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Fallen**

"Go, go GO!" The doors and gates of Raycastle were slamming open and in swarmed millions of soldiers. Instantly, screams echoed through the entire area. The Capellean invaders hurled palace maids like they were dolls and hacked any unsuspecting solider on sight. Torches of fire consumed the walls of the castle in a sea of orange and flickers of flame. The castle, it was breaking apart. The bodies, they were piling up. The screams, they would not stop. The city, it was in chaos.

Somewhere deep inside the castle, Queen Yuka patted the head of her own baby child. She was struggling to make her way to a safe part of the castle. Her baby's wails were increasing in volume, a warning of the enemy's pace and their doom. In front of her, her bodyguard was pulling her along, trying to bring her out of the castle via the secret passage. But how do you expect someone who had just given birth to have the energy to run? They both knew they were just delaying their capture. It would come. Just like what had happened to the King.

Finally, she decided that she would not run anymore. Nobody would survive because of her weakness. She pulled her hands away from her bodyguard, who would not stop panicking.

The Queen smiled a little as she lifted off the little blanket she had wrapped her baby up with and cradled her in her arms while planting her forehead with kisses. She bit her lower lips to suppress her tears, but they still flowed out silently, motionlessly.

She gave her baby one last parting look, one last parting kiss. She didn't have to say anything. All she did was hand the baby over to her guard, and give him one firm push towards the direction of the secret escape route located under the castle.

"My…My Queen…" His bodyguard stuttered.

"This is an order, Shiki. Take Mikan and leave. You and I both know it would really be the end of it if we lose her."

Now it was her turn to drag them towards the secret passageways.

"Get out of here. Get away from the capital. Protect her. She must live. You will do as I say. This is my final order as Queen of Alicean. Please."

As the sounds of heavy footsteps approached, Shiki gave a low bow before hurtling away, leaving the Queen behind.

She did not move from her spot until she watched his back disappear down the way and the wails of her baby no longer audible. She did not make a sound, as she watched the enemies burst into the room and surrounded her, spears pointed, Alices ready to attack.

She did not cringe, she did not plead for mercy. Even when she, the Queen of Alicean fell.


	2. Shadow

Hi everyone! I'm sorry i haven't been able to update or sit down and properly think of my stories these few days because of school :( Thank you for being patient with me! I appreciate all the feedback given to me and they definitely gave me encouragement to continue writing! And i finally realised that being an author is not as easy as i thought :PPP

I'll do my best :) Sorry for the inconsistent grammar, etc because i did this over a span of few days. Also, i have like 3 papers to take next week so the next chapter would probably take a while to be up T_T Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to R&R~ See you guys soon!

love, daisukibear

**Chapter 2: Shadow**

* * *

The dark hooded figure cautiously scanned her surroundings. She had to make this quick. If the authorities ever found out, it would mean nothing but trouble for her. Nobody was supposed to be loitering outside their houses at this time of the night. Holding her breath, she waited until the coast was clear before entering the cottage. Shutting the door behind her immediately, she heaved a sigh of relief, only to be greeted by a pair of piercing, stern eyes.

"Young lady, would you care to explain where you have been?"

'Oh crap,' she cursed. Here it goes again.

"How many times do I have to tell you to _come back before the curfew!_ Do you not understand what would happen if you got caught?"

The girl pouted before lifting off her hood, letting her long streaks of brown hair float down her shoulders as she hung her cloak up.

"Sorry! I just kinda forgot the time again." She smiled cheekily at her father, who crossed his arms before her. Shiki let out a deep sigh. This wasn't the first time she had given him the same excuse. _Man, this troublesome one…_

"I'll definitely try my best to return home punctually. PROMISE!" She grinned. "Awww, Dad don't make that face!" Shiki couldn't help but break into a smile. It had been 15 years! 15 years since he began caring for this girl. He grew to love her and treasure her as his own daughter, and he watched as she transformed from a chirpy, naïve kid to this rebellious teenager in front of him. She was now only a head shorter than him and puberty had hit her like a storm. Even if she wasn't his biological child, she was still amazing. Her body curved at all the right places, with perfect skin and long, slender legs. And her eyes, those chocolate brown orbs. They reminded him so strongly of her mother.

Mikan promptly pulled out the chair at the dining table and scoffed down the bread and beef soup. "I'm telling you, you will be caught one day if you continue taking risks like this. Not even the Barrier would save you next time."

"But Yuki-san really needed the medicine! Rika-chan had been begging for us to help her…"Mikan argued.

And there, another reason why she was such a trouble. Shiki knew that Mikan had been sneaking out of the house at night to deliver food and medicine to other villagers who needed it more. It wasn't that they were better off than the rest of the villagers, but Mikan was just too kindhearted to refuse any help request. Most of the time, the villagers avoided each other except when at work or school. Minimising interactions meant less trouble and suspicion from the officials. The Capelleans knew what talented people Alicean had and was always on high alert for a possible uprising. Anyone suspected to be engaged in such activities will be publicly punished. And that's why very few were willing to courageously extend their helping hand, and why Mikan had to sneak around under a hood to help others.

Shiki was proud of Mikan, no doubt. When he first caught her doing the act, she was only 12 years old. She had snuck out medicine to their neighbour, who was down with a deadly disease.

There was no stopping her. No matter how many times he tried to ground her, tie her down to the house, Mikan would somehow be able to do what she wanted all the time. Kindness wasn't a very common thing anymore in Alicean, thanks to Capella. As sensible as Mikan may be, Shiki couldn't help but disapprove her actions. Day by day, Mikan grew up to be an exact replica of her mother. Not just the appearance, or the way she laughed, but the kindness and purity as well. They both trusted people far too easily.

That, was exactly what caused her mother's death. She was betrayed. They were betrayed. All because she was too kind. Now, Mikan may end up exactly like her mother, and that was something Shiki could not even bear to think about.

* * *

"I best be going now. See you tomorrow, Yuki-san!" Mikan beamed before silently lifting herself off the ground and pulling on her hood.

"Thank you, you beautiful child…What will I do without you…" The old, shrunken woman began tearing up. Just like every night when Mikan had to leave. Mikan smiled and embraced the woman, whom she had grown closer to every day. Sometimes, Yuki-san felt like her own grandmother. There was always this warm expression in her eyes, one that instantly drew Mikan closer to her. She had been visiting Yuki-san for the past two months now, bringing her medicine she needed for her failing strength and legs. Or maybe just drop in for a chit-chat and listen to one of her many stories. Yuki-san is a bearer of the Teleportation Alice and she had travelled widely across the entire kingdom when she still had the freedom and ability to do so. Now that age has caught up with her, her Alice had been significantly weakened.

There were stories about how she had narrowly escaped from bandits, about adventures she had when she had visited the capital of Alicean before the Capellean invasion. Oh, and about all the people she had met! Different Alices from all across the world gathered in Alicean to hone their Alice skills. She met extraordinary Alices such as Magnetism, Snow, even an Explosion Alice…and the list never ends.

Mikan would always feel her heart being twisted slightly when she hears about all these special people in the world. She knew how useful an Alice could be, like her Dad who casted a permanent barrier around their house so unwanted people would have a hard time getting through. Or her best friend from school, Hotaru Imai, whose Invention Alice made such incredible things that they were even recognized by the Capelleans and they wanted to give her a hefty sum in exchange for her inventions. Only to be turned down, of course. She would imagine how her life would be like, with an Alice flowing through her veins. Maybe the Barrier Alice, since Shiki had told her that her mother was a non-Alice. Or the Invisibility Alice! She would never have to sneak around like a shadow anymore. But it was just a fantasy kept at the back of her head.

"Take this…take this with you…"Yuki handed Mikan two mandarin oranges, which she accepted with thanks. "Rika-chan, catch!" And Rika watched as an orange flew from across the room and straight into her hands and the door silently shut itself close in the breeze.

* * *

There was something wrong in the air that night, and Mikan felt this uneasiness creeping up to her. She had been doing this for 3 years and always managed to get home safely without a hitch. All she had to do was to cross the Barrier leading to her household. But today, she felt like she wasn't alone. Someone, or something was there. She tried to quicken her pace and silently maneuvered through the forest that concealed her within their shadows. Usually, this forest proved too intimidating for normal people to enter. But whatever that thing was, it was still there. _Hopefully it's just a stray animal. _She bit her lower lip as she felt the shivers down her spine.

Crack.

Shit. Mikan stopped dead in her tracks. She completely froze. That twig under her foot had snapped because of her carelessness. Big mistake. Any sound would travel twice as fast and loud in this deadly eerie forest. And she practically just declared her existence to anything within a kilometer radius! And she had been sneaking like this for 3 years already? She could just slap herself right there and then. Time slowed to a standstill and she held her breath and took a few steps backwards gingerly. _Nobody is supposed to be here anyway…right? I'd better get out of-_

And a hand reached out from behind her and covered her mouth firmly. Mikan felt herself being pulled back by that powerful arm and dragged behind a bush. Whispers could be heard from a distance and several fires lit up in the darkness.

"Mmmm!" Mikan let out a muffled gasp as she struggled against her captor, but felt the hand over her mouth tighten its grasp. Her cheeks were hurting and she had trouble breathing. More flickers of flame began to light up across the forest. "I heard something!" A voice erupted and echoed through the forest. Mikan was too shocked to even react. Since when were there that many Capellean officials lurking in here? What the hell is going on?

"Just shut up and stay still." A voice hissed in her ear. Mikan flinched as her attention snapped back to her captor. With one hand still firmly covering her mouth, her captor held her waist tightly against his body with his free arm. He was so close to her that she could feel his heavy breath on her ears. She twisted her head slightly and glanced back to meet her captor.

And that was when crimson eyes met brown.


	3. Meeting

_Hello guys! I'm here to update again! I had fun writing this chapter, and i just had a math and philosophy paper today. I can never get along with math :( But i was in a good mood this afternoon cos i completed them so i decided to put up another chapter for you guys! Thank you so much for all the support, it means a lot to me to get recognition from all of you :) Hope you like this chapter!_

_Love, daisukibear_

**Chapter 3: Meeting**

* * *

"I'm pretty sure I heard someone…"

"Maybe it's just an animal. Those Aliceans are too scared to do anything anyway… Who would be dumb enough to be out here at this time?"

"Um…us?"

"Stupid, we don't count. We're stuck with this stupid patrolling duty. We don't have a choice. "

The two behind the bush held their breath as they sensed the approaching Capelleans. From their voices, there were maybe 4 of them? They were bickering stupidly and yelling childish names at each other. Mikan could feel the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and she her body was tense with apprehension. She glanced back slightly at her captor again. She couldn't see his face properly because of the dim light, but he sure looked kind of familiar… It didn't feel like he was much older than her…

But Mikan felt her head being jerked back swiftly when the voices grew louder.

"I hate this place. It stinks and it's so creepily silent."

"Quit whining like a baby already. Hey, don't walk so fast! I need the damned fire to see!"

From behind the bush, Mikan could roughly make out the figures. One was brandishing his torch as if it was a sword, jabbing it at the air. And they were heading straight for them. All they needed to do was to bend over the bushes and bingo. _Please don't let this be the end for me. Please don't please don't! _Mikan screamed in her mind. If only a real animal would pop out and possibly save her from the imminent doom. Mikan closed her eyes shut. This is it. The only thing that separated her from the Capelleans was a few leaves and twigs.

Then, as if God had heard her, the leaves of a nearby bush rustled and out popped a bunny. Mikan watched as all the Capelleans jumped by its sudden appearance.

"The heck, it's a stupid bunny…"

"I told you there isn't anyone here," snorted one of them as they watched the bunny scurry away into the distance. "Let's not wander too deep in and get out of here." They agreed and turned the other way round, away from the bush that hid the very people they didn't expect to find.

* * *

That was definitely the closest call to doom Mikan had ever experienced. Half of her was still recovering from the shock, while the other half was just crying from relief and panting breathlessly. Why was she breathless again? That's when she realised she there was still that unknown hand covering her mouth. She wasn't out of this trouble yet.

Mikan started to squirm and struggle against the firm arm that looped around her neck. Surprisingly, her captor let go of her almost immediately and she gasped for breath upon his release. Still panting from his tight grasp earlier on, she pushed herself away from his reach before turning around. This time, she was able to see him clearly with the help of the silvery moonlight. He looked just like a regular teenager her age, except that he was pretty good looking. Had she seen him before? He had familiar raven hair that messily, yet naturally, rested at the sides and beneath that were his eyes. And they were breath-taking. The crimson pair of eyes was so mysteriously…cold. Unfeeling. But something in those eyes showed a thirst. A passion for something. Desperation. It was as if he could pierce through her thoughts as he glared right at her. He really was good looking, and when he had hugged her tightly against his chest, she could feel the warmth and his breath tickling her ears and making her shudder.

Wait. What? She must be crazy. This is not the time to be admiring someone who almost kidnapped you!

"What...what the hell did you do that for?!" She hissed as she regained her composure, with her hands protectively covering her chest. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?!"

"Baka! Lower your volume. Good job with the bunny, Ruka."

Mikan frowned. Ruka? Had he mistaken her for someone else? That was when she realised another guy, also about their age, had appeared behind the raven-haired. Except that this one had blonde hair and blue eyes that resembled sapphire gems. But he looked familiar too. "I need to thank it later… Natsume, are they gone?" the guy named Ruka mumbled as he crouched down next to his friend and peered cautiously over the bushes.

"Hello? I asked a question! What do you want from me?! What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Mikan snapped at them.

"We could ask you the same question. Do you know what time it is?" The raven hissed back at her, still keeping his eyes on their surroundings. Mikan gulped. That was true. It was illegal to be out here at these hours. They must be crazy to be risking their lives out here at this hour. But she was doing the exact same thing.

"You think we would kidnap an ugly girl like you? You should be thanking us actually. If I hadn't grabbed you and shut your big mouth you would have walked straight into them. Face to face."

Mikan could feel her face flushing with embarrassment. Now that she had thought about it, it was true that she had not noticed or even thought Capelleans would be patrolling around this deep in the forest. If not for them, she would long be caught. She would have bumped into them straight on, or give her location away when she screamed.

"Um…thanks…But we were lucky the bunny appeared. If it didn't come, we would still be discovered," she tried to argue back. This guy did save her life, but he was a little rude for his own good.

"Tch. I would have burned one of their hairs to distract them even if Ruka hadn't asked the bunny for its help." He shot back.

Wait. Burning hair? Asking the bunny? "Oh my god. You guys are Alices?" "Fire and Animal Pheromone," Ruka smiled and replied her. Mikan felt so useless right there and then. _Of course they could sneak in and out of this forest and know about the Capelleans. The animals told him,_ she thought. Alices could save lives. Fire and Animal Pheromone, how cool was that?

She had heard of people in school with these two Alices, although she had never seen them in action. Actually, the two owners of those Alices were in her class, if she recalled. But everyone was careful not to show their Alices. Each year, rare Alices were captured by the Capelleans, regardless of the age and gender of the owner and they were forced and threatened to work like a slave for the officials. That's why no one really knew who had an Alice because people tried to keep it from each other.

But those two guys in her class, their Alice was not much of a secret anymore. Somehow, everyone knew about them since the beginning. Two dashing hot Alices who made many girls swoon behind their backs although she never paid much attention to them. If she was right…their names were Hyuuga Natsume and Nogi Ruka…something along those lines…

Hold on a second. Natsume? Ruka? Fire and Animal Pheromone Alices? No wonder these people looked so familiar to her! This sudden realization caused Mikan to gasp out loud, earning a smack on the head from Natsume.

"It's you two…from my class?!"

"I'm surprised only figured out now. Stupid girl." Natsume retorted back at her. "I think we can safely assume they are gone, for now. Better get moving, before they come back." Ruka and Natsume both stood up swiftly to leave.

"Wait! Um…My name is…" Mikan scrambled to her feet after them.

"Masachika Mikan. We know. Just walk straight from this direction and you'll see your house soon enough."

"Right…thank you…" Mikan looked up but they were gone. There was nobody there. Just the eerie forest and her again.

She stealthily made her way back to her house. What a night she had._ But how did they know I was here? And I don't remember us ever talking to each other so how did they figure out my name? And my house?_


	4. Trapped

Hey dears :3 I'm sorry for the superrr long wait for a new chapter! It has been a rough week ._. My grades were disappointing and I didn't really feel motivated to do anything. But, I finally finished all my exams for this semester on Friday so I will be diligently updating from now on! Thank you for being patient with me, and all the fantastic praises I got made me really excited too!

Yesterday the new Gakuen Alice Chapter 178 Chinese raws were released(I am Chinese :P)(but I'm not from China lol) and it made me go AHHHH ^w^ it was SO GOOD I was waiting for that kind of development for so long! It reminded me I had to get on with the new chapter too :P I would like to thank all of you who reviewed/followed/liked!

** Bunny Alyssa: Awww thank you **** Your comments really cheered me up! I gave it a thought and this chapter won't really be about school, because I felt that in this context/world school isn't a really important thing :x I'm also curious as to how I will develop the characters(cos honestly I still haven't planned how it will go at all). Thank you for reading and I hope you like Chapter 4! **

** LexaStarr ****michan-natsu ****mooshy3712**** Sorry for the wait! I try to update weekly but sometimes school gives hell ._. thank you for your support :)**

** PhoenixOtaku**** It did make him sound like a stalker but it will be revealed later on why he knew so much about her :3 wait for it!**

And those are to those who reviewed for Chapter 3! A big thank you to all those who reviewed the other two as well :D Now, enough talking, let Chapter 4 begin =v=

Luv, bearbear :3

* * *

**Chapter 4: Trapped**

She was running nowhere. People around her were all screaming, and there was the stink of blood. The city was blanketed in red-not just by the fire, but the death. The crimson red blood. The cries. She didn't know what she was doing there, nobody seemed to notice her. Where was she anyway? It appeared to be like some castle. She was trembling at the gruelling sights. These soldiers were killing off people like they were squishing insects. They didn't even blink twice. Women, children, they didn't give a damn. She was panting heavily and she ran aimlessly. She didn't want to look down at her feet. She didn't want to look at the poor woman in the corner begging for her life. She didn't want to be here. But she found her feet slowing down as she realised the screams grew softer, that she could no longer see the orange flames licking at the city and she could hear herself hurtling across the hard pavement. She was in a place where everything seemed safer. And there were the faint cries of an infant, followed by sobs, somewhere, deep behind one of these rooms. This is when she would feel her heart being twisted, as if someone was crushing it in their palms. The cry. It was packed with so much pain…anguish, that she could feel it. It was not that those defending soldiers or maids out there didn't cry, or that she didn't feel for them. This cry, it was like it was calling out to her.

As if on cue, Mikan's eyes flew open, revealing herself back in her room and the mess her bed was in. She was tangled up in the sheets and she was perspiring even though it was the middle of Autumn right now. She sat up, still breathless and recovering from the shock. That same dream had been haunting her again and again, but each time feeding her a little more, taking her a little deeper into the castle(or wherever she was), showing her more. But this was a really strange dream.

"Looks like I didn't get to find the source of the cry again…" Mikan sighed as she collapsed back into the pillows. There was something in that cry that seemed really familiar and she was dying to investigate it. But looks like she had to wait for another time.

* * *

The second time she flew awake was when the alarm clock pierced through the air and startled her. Rubbing her eyes, her hands searched for the source of the noise and slammed it down hard. _Ugh, I didn't sleep well again._

"Morning…" Mikan yawned as she greeted Shiki.

"Hey. Didn't sleep well?" Shiki asked as he effortlessly tossed a pancake into the air and caught it in the frying pan.

"Nah, there was that weird dream again… I'm tired…lots of syrup for my pancake please… " She smiled weakly while pointing to the maple syrup sitting in the cabinet. Shiki let out a deep sigh as he handed her her portion of pancakes drowning in syrup and Mikan started chewing robotically.

"And that's why you shouldn't go night visiting again today."

"Wha..what?" Mikan choked on the pancake she was chewing and gasped for air. Hitting her chest as she tried to regain herself, she gulped down the glass of milk. "Why?"

This kind of conversation isn't something new, but Mikan was afraid of the answer Shiki would give. _Did he find out what happened last night? Or is it because I came home slightly later…But I didn't do anything that would give me away…I hope…_ But the thought of last night sent shivers down her spine. It had been a really close call. And why were Nogi and Hyuuga there for? Did they get back safely? Why did they help her? What did they….?

"Because you've been sneaking around late at night. And that's why you're tired. Am I right?" Shiki's voice snapped Mikan out of her thoughts.

"Yea…Yeah I guess! Maybe I'll take a break today then, it's the weekend after all, right? Haha...hahaha…" Mikan sweat dropped as she tried to continue to eat her pancakes normally while Shiki raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

"Well hurry up. Assembly's in 20 minutes."

* * *

The Central Square was slowly filling up the residents, all in time for the Assembly. The attendance queue was so long it snaked around the area.

The Assembly was something that occurs every morning, in every city within Alicean. All residents have to be there, unless you have a valid reason. Attendance is taken very seriously, if you missed any one Assembly without a reason, there is a high chance you will be sentenced to some punishment. Jailed or beaten up, probably. Basically, the Assembly is a time for Capelleans to boast whatever achievements they had, or implement ridiculous new rules that must be followed. Mikan hated Assemblies. Half the Capellean officials in Redwood are idiots and they didn't really know what they were doing most of the time. Oh, and their children. The most bratty, arrogant people she's ever met. They always think of themselves as superior, so mighty, but all they can manage is a measly grade. But they would still shout around and show off their stupidity. And the new rules the Capital implemented were just… They can be silly rules like _Alicean girls can only wear red hair accessories _or things like _Aliceans are not allowed to own transportation vehicles. _It was always Aliceans that can't do this or that. Plus, what kind of rules are those? King Kuonji must be too free or something. But the Assembly was still feared, because it also included the Discipline segment. All the public punishments happen during the Assembly, and the offender would be dragged from wherever they were to the center to be humiliated, beaten half to death, or worst, brought away and never seen again. The announcer would always be the Head Capellean Official. And for Redwood, it was this uncaring man who looked like he couldn't be bothered with his duties.

In the crowd, Mikan spotted her best friend Hotaru and left Shiki behind to greet her.

"Hotaruuuuuuuuu~" Mikan pounced on her best friend, but Hotaru shifted out of the way. Hotaru Imai has been Mikan's best friend for as long as she could remember. She has a short, boyish haircut but stunning amethyst eyes. Hotaru was also pretty stoic, like she couldn't care less about the world. And she likes to blackmail others into doing things for her. She can also be really violent. What kind of best friend is this? But Mikan didn't mind, it was just Hotaru's personality. Mikan was too attached to Hotaru anyway, you would always see her clinging onto her or following Hotaru around school.

"Don't come so close to me, stupid." Hotaru snarled at her, but Mikan just grinned.

* * *

Mikan glanced around the Square, until her eyes spotted the familiar shades of raven in the crowds. And blonde as well. Across from where she and Hotaru stood was Hyuuga, with Nogi. Mikan couldn't help but stare at them as they emotionlessly stood there, only occasionally talking to each other. And Hyuuga was holding the hand of a little girl as she hid behind his legs. _Looks like they got back safely too._

"So you're into Hyuuga and Nogi too, eh? I expected more from you." Hotaru sneered at Mikan.

"What?! Of course not! I just… Hotaru, do you know who's that little girl?"

"His girlfriend, probably."

"Eh? That young? What a similar couple. They both have red eyes and raven hair too. How cool."

"Are you serious? You believed what I said? That's obviously his sister. Is your brain fried or something?"

"Oh."

Mikan watched as the little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned. She tugged at her brother's shirt and reached out her hands for a hug. Hyuuga smiled a little and lifted the little girl into his arms and cuddled her while she rested her head in his chest. _They really do look alike… But where are their parents?_

"I heard from someone that she has a weak body so she falls sick easily. Think her name is Aoi. Aoi Hyuuga."

"*Cough Cough*Welcome to the Assembly again this morning. Today we share the news that King Kuonji has ordered for all taxes of the Aliceans to rise by 10%. I repeat, the taxes for all Aliceans will rise by 10% starting by today. Those who cannot afford the taxes…Well, too bad for you. Next, we have…"

Mikan could hear all the adults swearing. The taxes are rising up again to feed Kuonji and his load of Capelleans. Her dad never really had a big struggle forking out the ridiculous taxes, but she knew she may have to go without eating pancakes for a while. She rolled her eyes as the Head official continued with the announcements monotonously. As much as the announcer didn't like his job, nobody really liked to listen to him either.

But the entire village dreaded the Disciplinary Segment. Hopefully nobody would be caught today. It was always heart wrenching to see families torn apart, or your neighbour or friend getting beaten up for something in front of everyone. Mikan glanced at Hotaru. Hotaru had always despised this segment. Mikan heard that Hotaru had had an elder brother, and he had the Healing and Pain Alice, which was apparently very rare. Before Hotaru was born, he was taken away by the officials during Discipline as well, and he never came back.

"Today, for the discipline segment, it's going to be somewhat different! We would like all teens between ages 12-20 to move to the right side of the Square. I repeat, all teens between ages 12-20 to move to the right side of the Square."

All the residents of Red Wood gasped. The offender was a teen? Usually it would be an adult. Having a child punished was the most unfair and cruel thing. Mikan gripped Hotaru's hand tightly and she looked back into the crowd to try to find her dad. Shiki frowned hard and mouthed the words "It'll be fine." as he smiled weakly and nodded his head.

"No! Onii-chan, stay here! Ruka-chan too!' Mikan could hear a little girl screaming. Aoi was pulling at Hyuuga and Nogi's shirts and begging them not to leave her there. She was probably only 5 or 6 from her looks. Mikan watched as Hyuuga patted and hugged Aoi-chan before leaving her with Ruka to join them at the right side. He met her gaze for a short while but Mikan quickly looked away to pretend that she wasn't looking.

The teens all held their breath as they wondered about their punishments. Mikan's heart was beating wildly. _Please don't let it be anyone I know…_

"Well well, today, we have sad news to share. This offender is among one of the teens. Oh, what a pity," the announcer said, rolling his eyes. "This teen has been boldly committing a crime and thought that nobody saw her. Haha. Anyway, we have a special guest today to help us in the identification of this offender," The Head Official waved his hand to his subordinates as a signal.

In the crowd of teens, most just hung their head low. But Mikan was curious as to who this special person was. Maybe it was a new Capellean Official from the Capital. That would suck. But something in her told her that it wasn't the case. There was a sharp cry, followed by desperate sobbing from a girl. More heads began to look up, all curious.

Two officials were holding a rope, tied to the young girl as she tried to resist them while they dragged her along. "No… I don't know anything! I don't want to…I don't want to!" The poor girl shrieked and choked out sobs. The two officials didn't seem to care whether she was walking properly anymore, they just pulled her across the floor as she winced in pain. Her hair was in a mess and there were obvious cuts and bruises all over her. She was led onto the stage and pushed down onto the floor beside the Head Official.

Mikan felt heart being twisted up again. In the same way as the cry in the dream did. This voice, it was not just desperate, it was pleading. It was begging. This was really sickening. The girl was probably not even a teen. The Head Official couldn't care less. He pulled the girl up by her hair and carried on as if it was a normal thing to do. "This pretty little girl here will help us. Oi, stand up and look into the crowd. Tell us, who was it?"

And the young girl stared into the crowd of teens below her, biting back her lips. Her eyes shone with tears as she gazed blankly into the eyes of the villagers, until she found the one person she was supposed to identify. The hazel eyes that met hers were wide in shock.

Rika's teary eyes were staring into those of Mikan.


	5. Fire Away

Hey friends :D

I'm a horrible person TAT I'm really sorry I keep breaking my promises of one chapter a week etc, but even after exams school's been rushing lots of stuff and I kinda fell sick over the days..x_x I'm so sorry for all those who were waiting so patiently for this!

**HQ-pyon****, ****Katsuya Sakura Chan****, ****PhoenixOtaku****, ****mooshy3712****, ****kathrine42**

**Hehehe all of you have commented about the cliffy I've left last time :D I do quite like leaving cliffhangers, if anyone noticed. Hope this chapter is satisfactory for your tastes!**

**Mystique0831****: You're too kind :333 Thank you for your wishes! Here's a** **long-awaite****d** chapter for you :P

**michan-natsu****: Thanks for the enthusiasm once again! You guys are the reason why I keep coming back to write~~**

**K-chan's Kisses****: Your review notification was the one that reminded me to come back and write :D Thank you for bringing me back here again! :3 Hope you like this one too. **

On the bright side, it's the SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! xD So I have no school for a month now ^_^ Thank you to all those who reviewed/followed/favourited this~ This time, I tried to write in the perspectives of more people, even though it's supposed to be narrative :P Would be quite boring to just hear Mikan's thoughts, eh? I apologise for the lack of quantity and quality this time round :/ Am feeling pretty weak and tired these days.

Please do continue supporting Mikan-chan! :3

Luv, bearbear (owo)

* * *

**Chapter 5: Fire Away**

Suzuki…Rika. Suzuki Rika.

That was her name, right?

There's no mistaking it. She was one of Aoi's best friends in school. Aoi could never stop going on about Rika-chan doing this, Rika-chan doing that. And now that little girl of 6 years old was up there, being pulled and beaten around like a dog.

Natsume felt his fist clenching tighter. _These bastards._ They don't care about anyone else except themselves. All they do is tear up families, take money from the poor or beat up innocent people. But now they actually wanted them to backstab each other? He knew that even if the culprit was caught, Rika would never be able to go back home. _And she'll end up just like Mom._

_Hmph._

* * *

The entire Central Square was silent, except from the sobbing of Rika, who hung her head low.

"Oi, open your eyes and look closely!" The official jerked (or jerk official) her head upwards to face the crowd. "Man, you better cooperate with us, young one. We don't want your grandmamma hurt, do we?"

In the crowd, Mikan's heart skipped beat. When did this happen? She was sure they left them safely like usual last night. And within a day everything went downhill. It was clear. Yuki-san got taken away somewhere as hostage, and now Rika was being humiliated and beaten around in front of the whole village. The only thing going through her mind now was that it was all her fault. She was the one that brought this upon them. Now they had to pay the price for her. They were hurt because of her.

"I said, I don't know anything!" Rika continued to persist. It was painful watching a young kid being treated that way. Mikan didn't really know what to feel. What should she do now? Hope for the best and that it'll work out? Even if she surrendered herself, she would not be able to guarantee their safety anymore. And since she wasn't an Alice that was any use to the Capelleans, she'll be thrown into some dungeon for the rest of her life.

She felt the grip on her hand tighten and looked up into the firm eyes of Hotaru.

_You're not doing whatever I think you are doing. You better not be. _Mikan could read what Hotaru was trying to tell her, and she gave her hand a light squeeze. But it really was her fault… Mikan knew she would be letting Hotaru and her Dad down. They would most definitely attempt to stop her.

Mikan bit her lip tight. But she thought that most importantly, if she did this, if she just let this go and pray for all these to be a mistake, she would never be able to face anyone again. Not even herself. She hated seeing people hurt because of her. She had had flashing images of people dying and blood spilling everywhere sometimes, for some reason, and voices would tell her that they died to protect her. "Get her away! Make sure she's safe!" would echo throughout her mind. And this was exactly what Rika-chan and Yuki-san were doing. Instead of helping them, in the end, she brought them nothing but harm.

Mikan turned her head a little to see Shiki frowning at her with a solemn look. He was probably saying the same thing as Hotaru. She smiled weakly and turned back to face the front. _I'm sorry, Otou-san, Hotaru…Yuki-san…Rika-chan…_

* * *

Natsume glanced back slightly towards Mikan Masachika. She was fidgeting a lot. _It must be her then. _That's it. She would be caught and it would be the end of it. Something in him made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it was that strange thing his mother told him about her as one of her last words.

"_You see that little girl there? Her name is Mikan Masachika. Natsume, you need to help her ok? She would save us all one day. Keep her and your sister safe. Please."_

But who was she anyway? The only thing he knew of her was her name. And that she lived in that strange house at the village, right in front of the forest and that it her father had the Barrier Alice while she had none. All those years of being classmates, there was nothing unusual about her. He only found out her sneaking activities because Aoi said Rika accidentally spilled it to her. How is this girl ever going to save anyone? Save them from what? He wasn't even sure why he had helped her yesterday. Ruka kept asking him why, but he had no answer.

Natsume hated Redwood. Maybe it was just Redwood, but the villagers were cowardly and didn't dare to do anything. They just stood there with their heads hung low and silently prayed for it to be over. When they could have done something. At least protest or try to help her out. But no. No one would do anything. How could they stand the wails of a 6-year-old being pushed around in front of them? Nobody cared about anyone except for themselves.

"You rascal, I'm asking you to cooperate! Don't blame me for what happens to you!" And the official slapped Rika across the cheek. Beside him, Ruka and some girls flinched slightly. Natsume watched silently ahead as Mikan made her way slowly to the front, determination in her eyes.

Then he heard a shout and the official holding Rika dropped to his knees, with his hair on fire.

* * *

There was a huge gasp as the crowd watch the official shouting in agony. A little girl burst through the crowd and took her stand in front of the stage firmly. "Don't touch Rika-chan!" she shrieked.

Mikan was taken aback. It was a little girl with raven black hair and ruby eyes. Wait. She's the Hyuuga sister, wasn't she?

And she just burned an official in front of everyone. Not good. Not good at all.

Rika fell into a heap on the stage. Sprawling on the ground, she looked up to face her saviour, only to realise it was just her best friend.

"Aoi-chan! What are you doing? Go away!" She cried.

The officials and villagers were sent into a frenzy as this little girl not only dared to stop the Discipline, but she did so by using her Alice in front of everyone. Now she would be pulled into this mess as well. The head official regained himself after dousing the flame on his hair. The air smelled of burnt ashes.

"How…How dare you? Somebody catch this stupid brat!" He hollered at the rest. Immediately, two other officials appeared and marched up towards Aoi. Mikan was desperate by now. No, she didn't want anyone else hurt because of her. She didn't know what else to think, but she made a beeline out of the crowd before Hotaru could catch up to her and hold her back.

But before the Caps could even reach Aoi, they too ended up in flames on the ground.

"You useless non-Alices! You can't even go up against a kid?! You there, zap her to pieces!" He ordered the infamous Electricity Alice. Mikan had seen that particular official using his ability once. The poor shopkeeper who tried to reason with him immediately dropped to the floor, unmoving. She didn't know if he was unconscious or possibly even dead. She didn't want to know. Now, he's coming straight for Aoi.

In all happened in slow-motion. Just as the official pointed his finger towards Aoi, Mikan burst through the crowd and swiftly grabbed Aoi into an embrace to shield her from the impending attack. If she couldn't save Rika and Yuki-san, at least she had to protect this innocent one over here. That was if she could.

She could feel a strange warmth surging up within her. Perhaps this is what you feel before you died. She closed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact.


	6. Questions

I'm back again~ Did anyone here miss me xD

As promised, this is chapter 6! I will be on holiday the whole of next week, so if I get enough reviews/likes/follows before then I'll try to update by Sunday, before I leave =v= [And for your info, my time zone is GMT +8] Unless you can live with the cliffy haha xD I will also be working hard to think of a continuation :D Seriously, this writing business is tougher than I thought!

Credits to: **gabsterela****, ****toocoolfornoschool****, ****kathrine42****, ****Mystique0831****, Guest user, ****K-chan's Kisses****, ****mooshy3712****, ****michan-natsu**** and ****HQ-pyon** for the reviews, as well as all of you for reading it~

I actually intended to finish up this story earlier since like Tuesday but then me being me I was distracted by a couple of things. Oops.

Oh, and I would like to ask if you guys think the length of each chapter is alright? I just write as it goes but it usually ends up within 1400-2000 words, with the intro included. I'm not really fond of loooong chapters because they make me lose interest(though some are still worth it) but I have a feeling if I continue at this length and pace, it would take quite a number of chapters to complete… What do you guys think? I also realised that there's no use putting bombastic words for elaboration, since English isn't the first language of many…

Meanwhile, enjoy this one too :3 Thanks for the support once again!

Love, daisukibear~

* * *

**Chapter 6: Questions**

Was she already paralysed? It felt like nothing. Ah, perhaps she was in a coma. Wait, maybe she was in heaven? It didn't feel that bad then. _This was a really painless way of dying_. Mikan slowly opened up her eyes. She could hear a faint buzzing in her ear. Her eyes opened, only to be greeted by a sea of…raven..hair?

Ok. So she was right back at the spot, in the exact same position she was in before she closed her eyes. She looked down at the child in her arms, who was already rooted with shock. Still crouched on the ground, she let go of Aoi, then turned around to face whoever just attacked her.

"Um Mister? I think you need some aiming lessons," she choked out.

* * *

The entire village was speechless at the moment. They all saw how it happened. There was no way he could have missed, unless electricity is known to redirect itself. One moment it was there, the next, it wasn't. Like it just sizzled and evaporated away. It was like it never happened.

"Are you a fool? Who told you to aim towards the sky? Aim at THEM, dammit!" The head official was yelling.

"I apologise, Sir! I was just…I was just careless!" The Electricity Alice stuttered. Mikan saw his hand withdrawing once more. _Damn, I thought I was lucky…_ The bolt of electricity whizzed through the air from his fingertips, but when it reached Mikan, it disappeared. Just like before. Mikan could feel the force of the electricity whizzing straight for her face. But for some reason, it never reached her. She closed her eyes, thinking it would hit. However, it disappeared as fast as it came. "Um…Aoi-chan, did you do something?" She whispered. Aoi merely shook her head and held on to Mikan's dress.

This time, even the head official was baffled. What the hell? Surely he could not have missed twice. And he definitely aimed well at them!

"There must be some sort of Barrier around her. Seize her! Seize them both now! She must possess the Barrier Alice!"

"No…it's not. It wasn't a Barrier Alice…" The electricity guy announced. He was inspecting his hand and arm, as if something had stung him and he was checking for wounds.

"Hey you, check out who they are. NOW!" The head official barked at the administrative in-charge.

"According to our findings, the younger one there is Aoi Hyuuga. She is a Fire Alice, much like her elder brother and deceased father. The brunette there goes by the name of Mikan Masachika. Her father is a _Barrier Alice, _but she is not known to possess any Alice as of now," the administrator looked up from the list of information about all the villagers in Redwood.

"See? I told ya, it's the Barrier. Well, mystery solved then. You lucky one, having your father shielding you and saving your ass. Seize them! SEIZE THEM! Bring the dad up!"

But the electricity Alice knew it wasn't quite right. During his training to become an Official, he had been trained to deal with the pesky Barrier Alices and how to weaken their Barriers. Having electricity is a plus as well. Weaker barriers stood no chance against his Alice. Surely the barrier would at least crack a little? And why did he feel somewhat weaker after trying to attack her?

"Wait a minute, Sir! I insist. It wasn't the Barrier Alice. I would know if there was one," He went on. "It was weird. Normally, my Alice would be able to handle barriers, not a problem. And barriers are just like an obstacle within the range, my electricity would hit it if there was one, even if it was strong. But just now…it felt like…my Alice was being drained away. Like something ate it all up… It made my Alice useless. It kind of…_nullified it._"

"So you're saying she has the Nullification Alice? HA! It can't be possible. The user died a billion years ago."

Mikan was utterly confused at the situation. Were they saying she had an Alice? It's normal if they suspected it to be Barrier, since her dad had it. But what? Nullification? It doesn't exist anymore. It belonged to that ancient legend grandmothers would try to lie to their grandchildren with. Wait no! She couldn't have an Alice. She doesn't have one. The villagers were all murmuring among themselves.

"Hey hey, stop daydreaming. I said, GET THEM. Then maybe we'll find out what exactly she is." The head Official waved a hand. Several other officials came running up to them. They yanked Aoi out of her reach and two Officials tried to drag Mikan by her arm. "Don't touch me!" She slapped their hands away. "Stop resisting. You're coming with us," they both smirked, dragging her across the ground.

That was until the Officials realised that their clothes were ignited by fire. Mikan fell to the ground by the release of their grip. She tried to pick herself up, only to see an arm reach out in front of her protectively. It wasn't Aoi who had burnt them.

It was Hyuuga. Natsume Hyuuga.

* * *

"You're not bringing her anywhere." He announced. Right into the faces of all the Officials.

Did Hyuuga just come to her rescue, for the second time? "What the hell are you doing?" She hissed into his ear.

"Get back." Natsume said. He didn't actually say it, more like commanded it. The two injured Officials had already extinguished the fire on their clothes and are charging back at them full force now. Natsume bent down a little, getting into his fighting position. _Incoming punch from the left. Move right. _He prepared to duck, only to watch the fist crash into an unseen substance in front of him.

"You have to get past us first." Mikan turned to see her father stepping out from the crowd. "You think you can just take her away like that?" Hotaru emerged beside him, holding her Baka Gun in her hand. "I'm the only one who gets to bully her." She glared right at the Officials.

Mikan didn't know whether to feel touched or threatened. Now she managed to get everyone she loved involved. That's amazing. But really, for them to stand up for her, that was something rare in Redwood. At least they hadn't abandoned her just because she was thought of as a criminal.

"Oniichan!" Aoi had managed to escape the grip of her captors too. She collided into Nastume's legs and grabbed it tight, tears in her eyes. "Let's get us out of here." Nastume smirked. "What about Rika-chan?" "…We'll try to get her here too."

"Get them, get them! Dammit!" The head Official was panicking. First a little girl tried to burn them. Then mystery nullifying girl comes along. Then the little fire brat's fire brother. And mystery girl's father and friend! Then an eagle! Wait. Eagle? The head Official ducked as an eagle appeared and swooped right at him.

"Nastume, Aoi, you guys all right?" Now Ruka had joined alongside them. This was one of the most chaotic Discipline he had encountered. All these bratty teenagers appearing out of nowhere and trying to defy their orders.

* * *

"It's just 6 random people. Can't you get them?" The head Official sighed. His officials need to toughen up more.

The 6 of them backed into a circle as more Officials arrived to try and regain the scene. Now there are maybe 15 of them. Shiki was doing his best maintaining the Barrier. Even if they weren't harmed, they were surrounded, and that was preventing them from escaping. They needed to get out of there, fast. He would not have the whole village know about Mikan. Even if they do, they should not be finding out about her in front of these Caps. That's the worst thing that may happen. He shot a side glance at the two raven headed kids. _They really do look like Kaoru…_

"Just break the damned barrier already. Careful not to hurt the brunette. She's getting interesting." The head Official ordered. Now they were all surrounded. Don't they know when to quit? They already look like they're giving up.

"They ain't going down so fast," croaked a voice from the crowd. Mikan was surprised by the voice. She thought that the rest of Redwood would just treat this as a show to silently enjoy. The people protecting her were only protecting her because they knew her. She turned her head and saw Aya-san. She owned the bakery down the corner. Although they never really talked, Aya-san would give her some leftovers as extras from time to time. But their relationship was definitely not one that would make her involved in this.

"Mikan must stay safe. She is important to us." Another villager said. What was that again? Who was this man? Mikan pondered in her mind. She hadn't seen him before. Why are all these people defending her for?

"You will not hurt her." "We've had enough." "She must be kept safe, at all costs!" The officials surrounding them were panicking a little. Even Natsume and Ruka were surprised. What was all these commotion? The fact that they stood up to save Aoi (and Mikan)was already considered a taboo in the village. All those past Discipline segments and no one dared to care. But now, everyone was protecting Mikan? Though it looked like half the village was still in confusion. It seemed like only a few really knew what was going on.

Shiki merely nodded his head at the villagers. Mikan was still in a state of shock mixed with confusion. Was her Dad scheming with the rest? Why was she so important? A thousand questions were whizzing through her head. _I must stay safe? I'm interesting? I am important to the village? What?!_

"Hmm? What is this? Mass rebelling? For this little scrawny girl?" The head Official laughed. Inside him though, he knew that something was up. The fact that half the village adults are risking their lives, meant that something must be strange about that girl. He needed to get hold of her and get the situation back. If the whole village decided to attack, he wouldn't stand a chance. And the Captial wouldn't bother sending back up all the way to Redwood.

"Masachika-san, it's best if you take them all and leave now." Aya-san called out to them. "We'll handle this." "Hurry up and leave. We'll use Kija-san to clean up the mess." With a wave of her hand, she sent Rika, who was slumping on the stage, hurtling right into their group. The crowd below gasped in shock. That was the Levitation Alice. Aya-san had the Levitation Alice all along?

"Come on, we need to get out of here. Try to break through the formation." Shiki instructed the group of children. "Rika-chan, are you okay? We can use your teleportation Alice!" Aoi cried out.

"Where are we heading to?" Rika asked as she hurriedly gestured them to stand closer to her. "My house. In front of the forest. It has a Barrier, nobody can enter unless I give the permission."

* * *

It all happened like a dream, today. Mikan panted as she burst into her own house, with the rest scrambling in after her. All the questions refused to leave her mind alone. She was exhausted from just one short hour when it all happened. Everything came crashing down on her shoulders.

First, she almost got killed. Probably

Second, now people think she's an Alice. And an important one.

Third, random people like Aya-san and _practically half the village_ stood up to help her. And now Nogi and Hyuuga were in her house! Right there, awkwardly standing around!

Also, Rika-chan had the teleportation Alice? And her Dad was up to something!

"Dad, you have some serious explaining to handle."


	7. Identity

Hi again :3

Okay, I'm a horrible liar. I thought I could do up a chapter before I left, but I couldn't. Anyway, I'm back from my holiday at Bangkok! I had quite a nice time just relaxing and going shopping. Thai food has got to be the bombz =v=

It's already chapter 7! To tell you guys the truth, I created this account for writing and publishing another story. In the midst of creating a new document for that story I found chapter 1 of this in a folder, hidden and abandoned. So I just decided to post it for the sake of it, and kaboom. Now It's chapter 7 :P I would publish my original idea after this story, don't worry :D But first, I would like to concentrate on this one.

Thank you very very much for following these 7 chapters! During my vacation I bravely decided not to bring my laptop along but I still had a little bit of wifi on my phone so I decided to read my own story thus far. Reading back helped refresh my memory about the clues I said haha it would be embarrassing to leave them unaccounted for. If you find anything unanswered please please do tell me alright? Please do leave a review if you have any doubts as well. I hope chapter 7 would be better and I'm going to try my best to make this a slightly longer chapter :D So remember to R&R again!

**PhoenixOtaku****, ****HQ-pyon****, ****K-chan's Kisses****, ****michan-natsu****, ****mooshy3712****, ****Mystique0831**thanks for supporting me once again!It's awesome having you guys as readers ^^

GA is coming to an end really really soon, I really can't wait for the last chapter. At times like this I thank god I understand Chinese. I don't think I can stand to wait for translations

Here's chapter 7 for you!

_Daisukibear~_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Identity**

_Alright, this is weird. What am I supposed to do now?_ Mikan felt herself in the most awkward position she was ever in. Reason? Well, this is the first time she had visitors over at their house. 5 visitors, in fact. Her best friend. 2 hot guys she never really talked to but they appeared like knights in shining armors to save her life. Twice. One girl who was tortured because of her. And another girl who was almost tortured because of her as well.

What was she supposed to do in that situation? Her dad had disappeared into the rooms and ignored her question. Now all she could do was shift uncomfortably on the couch. Hotaru was marveling at the interior of the house and the pictures of Mikan when she was young, as if she didn't know how she looked like. Aoi was sobbing in her brother's lap while holding Rika's hand. Ruka had caught her staring and smiled a little, but Mikan hurriedly removed her gaze as she felt her cheeks heat up.

Since she was the host, she had to break the ice somehow. "Does anyone want something to drink?" She asked cheerily. But all that greeted her was silence.

Everyone jumped as Shiki burst out of the room, carrying two haversacks. He was frantically throwing in random pieces of items around the house into each of them. He shot one glance at Mikan and threw her one haversack.

"Pack. Now. Just some clothes will do. Food is more important."

"What? Are we going somewhere?"

"We can't stay here anymore. The rest of you should go home now."

"What?! Why? Where are we going? Why can't I stay here? Alright, I did something really stupid just now, but you fixed it, didn't you? Now you're telling me we're moving?"

"Nobody fixed it, Mikan. Kija-san can't put them in a sleep with his Alice forever. They only bought us some time. About 1 day at the most." Shiki continued to throw in things without looking up. "The moment the Officials wake up, all hell will break lose. There would probably be a manhunt."

"Wait, doesn't that mean we are all in danger now?" Ruka raised a question.

"Trust me, now that the secret is already invalid, the Caps aren't going to care about that trivial thing that happened just now. Soon they will hunting everywhere for us two." Shiki was getting annoyed at these questions. The sooner they were out, the better it would be for everyone. He had been preparing for this day since forever. If anything went wrong, he would just grab Mikan and they would be off. What he didn't foresee, was that it didn't just go wrong. It blew up, and now he had several other people to entertain before they could leave.

"And how long are you going to stand there for? I said pack!"

"Pack what? Who said I'm leaving?!" Mikan was seething with rage by now. Her old man had been bossing her around since they returned home.

"Can't you just listen to me for once? If you had listened to me, we wouldn't be leaving right now, and none of this would have happened!"

"I've been waiting to listen to your explanation THE WHOLE TIME." She snapped.

And then silence took over the household. Aoi had probably been shocked by all the shouting that she forgot to continue sobbing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt here, but I think you owe all of us an explanation here, Masachika-san." Hotaru finally broke the oppressive silence.

Shiki sighed in defeat and dropped the rucksack in his hands. Without looking at anyone, he rose to his feet and slumped on the chair nearby. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, clasping his hands together while his elbows rested on each of his knees.

"Fine. I'm going to make this as quick as possible. Nobody interrupt me, understand?" He looked up to see several nods before proceeding. "First off. Can someone recall that story? The one about the protector of Alicean?"

"Me, me!" Rika and Aoi answered together.

Rika took a deep breath.

"Once upon a time, long long ago in Alicean, the country was in a mess. It was said that Alicean was very poor and the people had a hard time living. Nobody had enough food to eat. People had to kill and rob and steal from each other to survive. The war that was going on had been using up the country's resources and the number of Alices was getting smaller. There was a huge army that was about to attack us and our army was outnumbered. But suddenly, there was this man who appeared in front of our battle line. All the enemy's attacks disappeared before they could reach us. The enemy's Alice users were all at a loss because they lost their powers suddenly. With the man's help, our army managed to defeat the enemy and we didn't fall under their rule. After that battle, we managed to win every other battle with our enemy and we won in the end! The man, however, disappeared like magic and nobody ever saw him again. He became a war hero, but since nobody really saw his face, the people called him the protector of Alicean that came from the heavens. The end."

"We just heard this story from our teacher last week!" Aoi added in proudly.

"Good. So that was the origin of the Nullification Alice," Shiki continued. "Which was what the Caps were after."

"Tch. Are they all stupid? The Nullification Alice doesn't exist. Didn't you hear her? He disappeared after the war. Nobody saw him. Nobody probably ever saw him. It was an illusion." Nastume hissed. Ruka nodded silently in agreement.

"No, they existed. The Nullification Alice has existed since the first Alices were ever discovered. It's one of the rarest forms of Alice in the world. There was a secret family, or clan as you can call it, of Nullifiers. Every single one of them was born in Alicean. They have been guarding over Alicean ever since ancient history. Where they hide and reside is a secret."

At this, Mikan leapt out of her seat on the couch. "What?! That's unbelievable. How many years has it been, and you're telling me nobody knew of their existence? Then how do you know?"

"Only a few people know of this, and we swore to keep it secrecy. The legend was created to protect and keep the suspicion from the people away. The Nullification Alice isn't an Alice that was easy to detect in the first place. It's not flashy or conspicuous in public. Around 15 years ago, it was reported that the secret had leaked out somehow and the family of Nullifiers was in danger of being exposed. True enough, a massacre took place overnight shortly after that. The identity of the assassins was unknown. Even those Nullifiers that were out of their hiding place never made it back. Wiped out over 1 night."

"15 years ago. That was when Capella invaded, wasn't it? Well, they were probably the ones who assassinated them all. Was that why we lost? Because we had no more 'guardians' protecting us?" Hotaru inquired.

Shiki heaved a breath. He was already prepared for the strong gasps of shock and denials that would follow after this. "Actually, that was part of the reason why we were invaded. The invasion first broke out in the palace, which you all would know by now. Their plan was to take over the military forces of Alicean and to wipe out their last Nullifier on their list."

"And that is-?"

"King Izumi."

* * *

"Grandma told me the King and Queen were nice people with no Alices." Rika interjected.

"Of course that was what the people were told. It's a bit risky for the entire world to know that the Alicean King had a legendary Alice. Imagine what constant threats we would be facing."

"I knew it! I knew the King must have some sort of secret powers, or secret noble lineage. Now he has both! He can't be a King if he's powerless." Ruka muttered to himself. "Hold on. And you know this because…?"

"I…I was a royal guard in the palace once. I was the Queen's bodyguard."

"What?!" Mikan and Hotaru yelled in unison. Shiki felt his stomach flinch.

"My dad worked in the palace?! And he was the QUEEN'S BODYGUARD?!" Mikan's head was in a whirl. Just how much more was her dad hiding, how long more was he intending to keep her from this? After 15 years of being his daughter, she felt like he knew him best. Now, she couldn't be so sure anymore.

"Yeah, right. And I'm the prince." Natsume rolled his eyes, earning an elbow from Ruka.

"Ok, ok. I don't look like one, but I've actually had that role since I was 20."

"And what's a Royal Guard doing here in Redwood, millions of miles away from the palace? Some great guard you were, running to save your own life while you let the Queen be slain."

"Hey, don't you talk to my Dad like that!" Mikan shot back at him.

"The Queen ordered me to get away. The Capelleans miscalculated their attack. They thought victory was theirs after King Izumi went down under the sheer size of the soldiers. But a few hours before their attack, a new Nullifier, the last one, was born and the Capelleans were not updated on this soon enough. The Queen ordered me to take the baby away. She sacrificed her own life to make sure her child gets away safely. That last Nullifier would be our only hope to turn the tides against the Caps in the future."

"Where…Where is the child now? What happened to the child?"

"It's you, Mikan. You were that child."

* * *

This was quite a rare scene happening in the Masachika's. If you were a passerby who did not know the seriousness of the situation, you would be laughing at the reactions of the people inside. Ruka's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. Hotaru, though her expression remained unchanged, spat out the water she was about the drink and was coughing from choking on it. Even Natsume Hyuuga raised his eyebrows—both of them, in fact. Meanwhile, Rika and Aoi, obviously confused, were marveling at the fact that Mikan was a princess.

"Mikan-chan, you're a princess!" Rika tugged excitedly at her dress. Only to find out that Mikan was limp from what she had just heard. She lifted her hand to her forehead in confusion.

"Rika, please pinch me."

"Huh?"

"Just pinch me. As hard as you can."

"Ouch! Ok please stop now!"

Mikan confirmed that this had not been a dream. Her mind was about to explode from the overloading of information within the past few minutes. She didn't even know what was going on anymore. She had Rika pinch her to clear her thoughts, but they were bugging her horribly.

Suddenly, her mind snapped. She banged the lamp table beside the couch and sprang up to her feet.

"You're…you're telling me…You had an affair with the Queen?" She cried out.

Hotaru Imai choked on her water once more.

Shiki hung his head low at this proclamation from his…adopted child. Heck, he didn't even know what to call her anymore. Damn it. What the hell was wrong with this child's intelligence? Sometimes, it was comforting to know that she was not of his blood.

"No. I meant that you have the Nullification Alice, inherited from your real father! "

"Real father? Who?"

"King Izumi Yukihira."

"Oh."

"You're…you're telling me…You're not my real dad?!"

_Baka! Baka!_ Hotaru had fired at Mikan's head with her Baka Gun which sent Mikan crouching down for cover.

"Enough of your stupidity! That is not the main point right now!"

Shiki could feel the butterflies in his stomach. After 15 years, he finally told her, face to face. Her reaction was understandable. It was heartbreaking for Shiki to reveal the truth to her as well, and seeing her face scrunched up in confusion and a mix of agony was tearing him apart on the inside.

"Ok. So now we all know the truth. The Redwood officials now suspect us, so we had better leave. Get packing."

"Not so fast. Why was she only told of this now when many others seemed to have known this before her?" Natsume demanded.

Shiki was stumped by this question. In order to answer that, he would have to painfully bring himself back to the day of the invasion.

* * *

_The only thing he knew now was to run for his life. His and the baby's life. Everything else would have to come in later. He bolted through the secret passage, one hand carrying a lighted torch and the other, struggling to balance himself and the weight of the howling infant. It was not easy running through this narrow exit with heavy armor on. The exit of the tunnel leads to a secret place in the town. The town was up in flames as well and the citizens were in uproar as they tried to extinguish the fire. The shrill cries of help in the town drowned out his own thoughts as well as the baby's. The only thing on his mind now was to get away from this hellhole. Releasing a horse from a nearby stable, he leapt expertly onto it and rode away from the catastrophe. He did not look back once at the Capelleans shouting for someone to stop him, nor did he turn his head once to mourn over the loss and his failure to protect the Queen, the King, or anyone at all._

_He did not know how long he rode on for. He only had a brief memory of what happened the next few days. When he finally regained his consciousness, he had already reached Redwood, his destination, and he realised he had been in bed for a few days already. _

"_Where's the princess! Bring me the baby! Where did you take her!" The moment he woke up, he flew into a panic attack realising the baby was nowhere near him. _

"_Shiki! Calm down, you're safe for now. The baby's right here!" Igarashi Kaoru appeared before him, carrying the smiling princess._

"_Thank god. Thank god. Kaoru…Yuka and Izumi, they…"_

"_I would have guessed. Did you know how long you've been riding aimlessly for on that horse? The horse was in a really bad state when you stumbled into the village. You weren't really fine either. You had been running on a high fever for a few days in a row. I wonder how you managed not to drop the princess and trample all over her on the horse."_

"_The Caps here yet?"_

"_No, but I think they would be on the doorstep very soon."_

_There were a few knocks on the door of the room. Shiki tensed up upon hearing the knocks, but Kaoru went over to open the door. In came a handful of adults, judging by their looks, they were residents of Redwood village. _

"_I kind of told them about you and the princess. If not, they probably wouldn't have allowed your entrance." She smiled sheepishly._

"If I didn't tell them about our true identities, they probably wouldn't have allowed our entrance." He simply said.

* * *

Outside, the sky was concocting up a storm. The ominous dark clouds rode in like the horse Shiki had galloped on to reach RedWood.

Mikan had completely lost her thoughts. From Mikan Masachika, she became somebody else she never knew. From the ordinary, clumsy girl, she became the **princess** of Alicean within a few minutes. One with a legendary Alice. She had been longing for an Alice, but she didn't ask for anything as high class as the Nullification Alice. Hell, she was the only one left in the world with that Alice! All she ever wanted to be or had been came crashing down at once. She no longer knew her name. Her dad, no, he wasn't her real dad. How was she going to address him from now on? Now the whole room just stared at her silently, expecting her to react. But what was she supposed to do? Smile and take on her role as the long lost princess? What was a princess supposed to do? She lived for 15 years, only to find out now that she had been living up in a carefully thought up lie and identity.

As the thunder exploded over the village, Mikan did the first thing she thought of—to get away from all the stares. She felt her head heating up and her chest expanding in agony with every breath she took. Hurriedly, she bolted out of the entrance and made a beeline for the forest, thunder drowning out her _stepfather's _voice and the rain mixing with her confused tears.


	8. Departure

Hello my dear readers!

Ok. GA finally came to an end! I only started reading GA about 2 years ago but I still feel really proud of it. *SPOILER ALERT* But I really am rather disappointed with the last chapter! When I heard it would be 70 pages long I was praying for a superb ending but no, there was 0 moment between Mikan and Natsume! Damn =3=

I'm sorry for the delay in writing -again-… I should be taking a few days to write this so x_x Right now I've reached an awkward part of the story. Like you know, I already thought of what major 'arcs'(as mangas call it) to add into the story and now I just have to link and somehow make them progress to the next one! Which is really tough. I apologise for the lack of quality this chapter may have :/ It's also because I've been planning for the future chapters, like looking at the character list to decide who I missed out, etc.

**.:TO:.  
****HQ-pyon****, **I can'tthank you enough for your support! It's so cool to know that I have readers from all over the world! I'm from Singapore, this really really small country and over here Chinese have to learn Mandarin. If you ever want to know what the raws are going on about, do PM me or something! Oh and I can read/write a bit of Japanese too :D You've been supporting me since ages ago and i really appreciate it :'D

**michan-natsu** and **K-chan's Kisses****, **I don't deserve such high praises from you amazing people all the time T^T Thank you so much it makes me so touched!

**PhoenixOtaku****, **There are 180 chapters! (I think.) And it is already completed! Have fun reading :D

To end of this ridiculously long intro, I would like to say a huuuuge thank you to everyone who followed/reviewed/favourited this! It means a big deal to beginner writers like me and OMG, **7 chapters, 40 reviews, 40 followers and 19 favourites** is more than I ever expected or hoped for T^T Hehehe keep this up guys~ :D

I love all of you so much xD Mikan's journey will begin soon, so I hope you continue to stay with me throughout this story! Mwah xD Remember to **REVIEW/FAVOURITE/ FOLLOW :D**

Minnasan daisuki da yo~ Enjoy the longest chapter written so far!

_**I will never own GA ._.**_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Departure**

"Aren't you going after her? Wouldn't it be bad if she were to run away?" Ruka frowned, staring after the door from which Mikan bolted out of.

Shiki sighed. Maybe he should have waited until they departed before telling her. Now, this stubborn daughter of his would probably go against his decision even more than before. Even if she did, it won't change anything. They have to leave, everyone knows it. And they will.

"Let's just leave her alone. I have a barrier around this place, so unless I give her permission to, she'll be stuck here." He scratched his head a little. "She'll have to come back anyway. I predict that within a few seconds, she'll find herself stuck in here and start yelling," he shook his head as he continued packing.

Sure enough, right after Shiki put a full stop to his sentence, did the voice of Mikan reverberate through the air, "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She was probably raising her fists at the walls of the barrier. The Masachika house was silent, other than the occasional sounds of Shiki still busily packing or him sighing. The rest of them listened to the wails of the troubled teenager out in the rain. "YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME, YOU CANNOT JUST KEEP ME HERE!"

The shouts stopped though, after about 5 minutes.

"Mr Masachika?"

"Yes? You should probably go home now, Imai-san."

"I hope you realised that your barrier probably won't work on her. She's a nullifier."

"What? No way." _Wait. Yes way. _Shiki slapped his forehead for his momentarily lapse. How could he forget? But Mikan would not be able to control her abilities yet, would she? She has not honed her skills, she just found out about her Alice. Surely she would not be able to use it at will?

"I think she's probably out of the barrier already. I mean, she's no longer cursing."

_Well, damn._

* * *

Mikan wasn't sure what she had done.

One minute she was banging and punching the barrier her father had set up, the other she was already right through it. Maybe her father's skills were really lacking. Or that Nullification Alice of hers. Whichever.

With her obstacle finally removed, she made her way towards the forest. Away from the shelter the barrier provided, the rain began to pelt down onto her skin and face, blurring her vision as she made her escape. She didn't know if the wet streaks on her face were actually her tears, or the rain, or maybe both. All she wanted to do was to be alone, far away from this house she lived in. Away from the lies regarding her.

She did not look back once. Her head was dizzy and spinning from all the events that took place that day. Nullification? King and Queen? Princess? Not real child? Screw those. This was all too much for a 15 year old teenager in a matter of a few hours.

She ran towards her spot under her favourite tree, memorizing the way as if it was the way back home. Mikan had always loved this tree since young. When she discovered it, the flowers of the tree were in full bloom during Spring. The pink petals of its flowers reflected the sunlight and glittered in the sun, while the branches waltzed in the gentle, soothing breeze. The rustling of the leaves were a melody to the ears. That was when she decided this would be her favourite spot in the forest. There was a large space under the tree, in between the trunks that opened up. It provided shelter, and a perfect place to hide. Sometimes, she would bring along a book and just forget time away on an afternoon. Later, she learned from her dad that the tree was a Sakura tree. A cherry blossom tree.

Today, however, was not Spring. It was Autumn, and Winter should be rolling around soon. She could feel the chill in the air. Her Sakura tree was dressed in gold, orange, red—much like the colours of a flame. It made her feel safe as she snuggled into the hole where she had sought comfort for the past few years. It was like the tree was keeping her warm despite being soaked in the downpour.

She curled up like a ball against the side of the tree, listening as the rain continued to cascade endlessly down the sky. Her wet dress clung onto her skin and she was shivering like a leaf from the cold, but there were many other things to worry about now.

What would her life be like, from now on?

Where is she going to go?

Was she really the last hope? Last hope against what?

What if she didn't want to do any of this?

….

What if her father wouldn't take her in anymore? Just dump her on the streets and left her alone? _He isn't obliged to keep me with him after all. I'm not even his daughter. All the Queen said was to keep me alive. And I am. _

_The Queen! She is my mother… _

_Ugh._

* * *

"Well, how long are you planning on staying here?"

Mikan was taken aback by the sudden voice. Lifting her head up, she slowly peered out of her hiding place, only to find her best friend standing right in front of her, arms crossed, and with something hovering above her head.

"Ho…Hotaru? How'd you know I was here?" She sniffled, shrinking back into the hole.

"You brought me here once, dummy. I know you're fat, but move over a little." Her best scoffed as Mikan scooted closer to the side to allow Hotaru room to join her.

For a moment, they both sat in silence, just staring at the downpour that was not clearing up.

"What's that floating out there?"

"Oh, it's just another one of my inventions. Automatic Umbrella. It floats using magnetism and has sensors to detect the weather and change the shades according to it. It automatically follows you as long as you're outdoors."

"That's convenient." Mikan murmured while she looked down at her own dripping wet state, until a towel flew in her direction.

"You're going to get sick."

Mikan smiled a little at Hotaru's actions and tugged at the towel so that it draped over her head. She did feel a little groggy and breathless. Of course Hotaru would be the first one to find her. And Hotaru knew that comforting her in this kind of situation would bring about more tears from the stressed up brunette. Usually, Hotaru would just sit there and listen to all her whines and rantings about life without uttering a word.

"Stop crying. You look twice as ugly when you cry."

Mikan jumped a little. Was Hotaru some psychic? She was about to tear up just a second ago.

"I never thought I would be a princess." Mikan managed to croak out.

"Believe me, I have never thought of that either. I don't think anyone would have thought so, after encountering you. I bet even your dad had trouble believing it."

Mikan smirked a little. "I suppose so. I was just…Mikan. The girl with the Barrier father. The girl who failed at math. The girl without an Alice." Mikan seemed to have realised that something went a little off in that last sentence.

"How does it feel like, being an Alice?" Mikan quipped.

To her surprise, Hotaru cracked up a grin at that question.

"It feels great. It makes me feel warm, and it makes me feel complete. Like this is what I can truly do. This is what I'm capable of. This is who I really am. The Alice is part of me, and you don't have it, loser. That's how I feel."

"That sounds nice," Mikan beamed, only to frown at the very next question.

"What about you? How'd you feel about your new Alice? Aren't you happy you actually have one?"

"I never asked for such a…important and almighty Alice. Can you believe it? I'm the last one with it on Earth. Besides, I don't know how to use it. Sometimes I use it, and sometimes I don't. But all my ancestors are dead now. Who's going to teach me how to use it?"

Silence took over once again. The rain outside seemed to soften up a little to a light drizzle.

"Hotaru? What will happen to me now? Am I going to be away from you from now on?" Mikan turned to face Hotaru, tears threatening to overflow out of her puffy eyes.

Hotaru shifted closer to her, grabbing the towel in her hand and instructed Mikan to face the other ruffled Mikan's hair with the towel in an attempt to dry it, she didn't want to admit to Mikan that she didn't know what would happen either. She was equally confused at this. "I guess that's something fate and destiny will decide." She simply said.

"What if my dad doesn't want me anymore?"

Hotaru smirked a little, but Mikan couldn't see it, her head being in the other direction. "If he had the patience to put up with you for 15 years, I'm sure a few more wouldn't hurt. He's probably worried about you now as we speak."

Hotaru's words had put Mikan at ease. Although Hotaru was not always kind with her words, Mikan knew that she was really kind in her heart. She just needed some expression lessons. She couldn't help but smile at this friendship between the two of them. When her dad first met Hotaru, he asked if she was blackmailed into being her friend. Thinking about it, what Hotaru said was true. If Shiki really didn't want her anymore, he could just chunk her out of his life when she was young. Or run on his own now that they drew so much attention to themselves. He must have really loved her, and now she felt guilty for doubting her own father.

"I think that's Nogi-kun calling for us," Hotaru said, pointing out of the hole. There, holding a small piece of leaf as its umbrella, was a white bunny. After seeing the both of them, it hopped away, but not too far at once, and it kept glancing back.

"Come on, time to go home."

* * *

"I don't really want to go in…" Mikan hesitated, standing in front of her own house.

"Don't be stupid. You have to go in first, it's your house. You have to enter before me." Hotaru said coldly.

"But I don't know how to face them! Did you see how they looked at me after the story? Everyone expected me to say something—" Before she could finish her sentence, the door flew open in her face and she was caught in a suffocating embrace by her father.

"Are you really trying to worry me to death? That's why I didn't want to tell you that, but you kept forcing it out of my mouth! And then you go running off into the rain like that! Look at you, all wet and cold! What if you caught a cold? You really are born to piss me off aren't you?" Shiki sputtered out in one breath.

He slowly loosened his tight embrace and looked down at his daughter. Her head dropped low and she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I…I thought you wouldn't want me anymore. Now that you know the truth about your birth." Shiki sighed.

Mikan perked up her head. "Why wouldn't I want you? I thought you were the one who didn't want me!" She burst into tears and wailed into Shiki's chest as he embraced her once more. "You silly girl. If I had the patience to put up with you for 15 years, I'm sure a few more wouldn't hurt." At which, Mikan cracked up a little.

"Alright, alright. Touching reunion. But can I get in now? I'm still out in the rain, though I have my umbrella." Hotaru rolled her eyes impatiently at the display of affection. _This man has some sort of daughter complex._

* * *

Mikan reentered her house to find that Aoi and Rika had fallen asleep, heads together, on one couch, while Hyuuga and Nogi still remained seated at the spot when she had left. It was not easy ignoring their piercing stares. She felt slightly dizzy, perhaps from the rain, and staggered into her room for a change of clothes. She picked a new dress, this time in violet.

"So, where are we headed to? Do we really have to move?" Mikan pulled a chair towards her and plopped down onto it, while her father opened up a map on the table. "Closest to Redwood we have Rosewell. We should stop by there first. We'll think of what to do from there."

"What are we going to do? Live a new life and forget about all these?"

Shiki shrugged. "I told General Kazumi that you were still too young for it."

"For what?"

"Leading a country."

"Lead a country? Who's General Kazumi? I don't want to lead the country!" She gasped. Nobody told her about leading countries.

But she was the Alicean princess and the country is now under the Capellean rule. What does that mean? That she was going to take back her country? How? If that could be done, they would have succeeded in the 15 years.

"Anyway, the first thing we should do now is get away from here. We'll see what to do later."

"I've never been outside of Redwood before." Ruka said as he approached them both. He smiled a little when he caught Mikan staring at him.

"I've been to Rosewell once. It's not a really big town, only about the same as here. They are pretty famous for their flowers. At least, that was how it was back then before the invasion. There used to be lots of wildflowers. I think that's why it got its name. Rosewell."

"Anyway, we leave first thing tomorrow morning. Get some rest. I don't know if we'll come back."

* * *

Mikan stared into the distance, into the forest, as she rested on the front porch of her house. It was already night time, and because of the afternoon shower, the air was fresh and the forest teeming with life. Hotaru had gone home before dinner to pacify her paranoid parents. She patted the old, wooden flooring of her front porch. Soon, she'll have to leave behind this house. The one she grew up in, the one that held her memories, the one that stood tall and strong despite raging weathers and welcomed her back every time as she stepped through the porch. She let the cool breeze sweep her face and heard the door creak open behind her. Out came Natsume, and on his back, still fast asleep, was his sister.

As Mikan hastily stood up from her seat, she grinned widely at Natsume, though she doesn't know if he could see her smiling in the dark. He just continued walking forward without acknowledging her presence.

"Um…Hyuuga-kun?"

Natsume stopped momentarily before grunting to show that he was listening.

"I'll like to thank you for erm… helping me last night. Oh, and this morning too." She smiled shyly as she gave low bow.

"Tch. Who asked you to stick your nose into other's business?"

"I'm going to pretend you said you're welcome. Thanks again." Mikan was trying to suppress her annoyance. Nothing nice ever came out of his mouth, not ever since they met.

"It's true. Nobody asked for your help. You were really stupid and just out of your mind. Ordinary people don't do that. Thinking that they can win against the whole crowd of Officials. Maybe you do have a powerful Alice, but you need to learn some basic common sense."

"Excuse me?" Mikan was utterly baffled at the harsh words she was hearing. Who did this guy think he was? He could at least express his gratitude for saving his sister. If not, her life would be zapped away.

"You didn't have to be so rude, you jerk!" She snapped back.

"Shut up, ugly. You'll wake Aoi." Natsume shushed.

"What?! You called me UGLY? Have you had a good look in the mirror lately? What have your parents been doing? Didn't they ever teach you manners? Here, I'll teach you. When someone says 'Thank you', you reply with 'You're wel—' Mikan stopped abruptly when she realised Natsume's face was only a few inches away from hers. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes was dangerous. Nothing needed to be said, but she got his message clearly. One more word, and she's going to get hurt. Mikan cringed as he glowered at her one last time and slowly walked down the front porch.

"Th..Thank you again for today. I wish you luck for your future. Take care of Aoi-chan." She called out after him.

The front door opened again, revealing Ruka to be carrying Rika on his back too.

"Ah, Nogi-kun."

Ruka returned her warm smile that sent Mikan blushing. "You can just call me Ruka."

"Then you can call me Mikan too!" She relaxed a little. The encounter just now compared to now is a completely different atmosphere. How can these 2 be best friends? Then again, she and Hotaru were somewhat like them as well.

"Well, I apologise for Natsume's behaviour earlier. He…lost both his parents when he was young so he and Aoi are actually orphans now…" He smiled weakly at Mikan.

"Oh… Then, I should be the one apologizing… What happened to them?"

"His mother might be still alive, but chances of finding her are slim. She got taken away for her Alice. His father passed away in an accident shortly after…"

Mikan gulped. She really was stupid for mentioning about parents in front of that guy. No wonder he looked ready to murder her. He really had no parents to teach him. And she just provoked him like an insensitive idiot.

"I really am stupid," The regret was flooding her.

"Don't worry about it, Mikan. Actually, that's just the way Natsume is. The way he phrases his words may not be always nice, but he meant well. I think when he said you were crazy and stupid was just his way of expressing how you probably shouldn't do that again." The sound of her first name sent her cheeks flaring up crazily again.

"So…I guess this is where we part ways?"

"Probably," he grinned.

"All the best. Thanks for sending Rika home, for last night and this morning too." She extended a hand out to Ruka. He took it graciously and gave it a firm shake.

"You too. Good luck, Hime-sama." He gave a slight bow before hurrying away.

Hime-sama? That was awkward, and she didn't really like the sound of it. Is this how people are going to address her from now on?

"Oh, who knows? We might be seeing each other soon," Ruka turned back and yelled.

"What?"

"We'll see," he chuckled as he disappeared off into the direction of the town, while Mikan turned back to spend her last night in the place she called home.

* * *

She could see the villagers looking out of their house even though it was still the crack of dawn. She had tried to keep her footsteps inaudible, but she knew that many pairs of eyes were staring and the hushed whispers as she and Shiki made their way across Redwood, towards the entrance and exit of the village.

There was a small crowd of people blocking the exit, seemingly waiting for them to arrive. Mikan could see a few people she recognized. The florist. The doctor. Aya-san. She didn't know their names, but her father was giving everyone a hug or pat on the shoulder as a farewell. They kept shooting her glances as they chatted. Mikan shrugged and pulled her bag closer to her, as she craned her neck to look for the one person she wanted to see before she went.

"Mikan."

"Hotaru ! There you are, I thought you weren't coming to see me off." Mikan turned around after feeling a sharp jab on her shoulder and leapt into her arms.

"Of course I'm coming." She patted Mikan's head and broke into a grin.

"Haha. Why are you carrying that bag? Going somewhere?"

"Duh, I'm coming with you."

"With me? You're going to leave with me?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is there anyone else leaving? It took a whole night of convincing. Of course I'm coming with you, you're so stupid and clumsy so I have to look after—Oof!" Hotaru broke off as she was embraced in a bear hug from Mikan. She was sobbing into her friends arms, while Hotaru continued patting her head.

"Imai-san, you sure about this? I thought you were joking about it yesterday." Shiki frowned.

"I'm sure." She replied firmly.

"Mikan-chan." Mikan looked up above Hotaru's shoulder and saw Ruka standing there, all smiles, also carrying a haversack. Beside him was the ever so grumpy and expressionless Natsume, with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ruka-kun! What brings you here?"

"They're coming too. Come on, let's get moving. Not much time left." Shiki instructed and began to walk off.

"What?! Why are they coming? You told me to mind my own business, so why are you here?" She shrieked while pointing an accusing finger at Natsume. He only reacted by sticking out his tongue. Ruka gave a polite chuckle.

"Natsume wanted to come. Please take care of me." He announced and gave a low bow.

"O..Oh… Please take care of me too!" At least she had Ruka. He was way more pleasant than Mr Grouchy. But really. Natsume, wanting to help out? Is he out of his mind? And he kept calling her stupid. Mikan had her doubts on this one, as simple-minded as she was. "But what about Aoi-chan?" Natsume just walked past her without saying anything.

One by one, the villagers cleared an empty path for them. They were shouting well wishes for them, as if they were heroes off to battle a war.

"Good luck, Hime-sama!"

"We will be praying for you."

"Do us proud."

Mikan could only force up a smile at the wishes. She knew the villagers meant well, but they were treating her as if she was on a mission. In fact, she was just running away somewhat cowardly to save herself, wasn't she?

"Mikan onee-chan!" Responding to her name, Mikan turned around, only to see a green stone flying right into her face before she caught it with one swift movement of her arm.

"It's teleportation! Good luck!" There, in the distance, was Rika and Yuki-san, waving enthusiastically. In her hands, was a turquoise stone about the size of a dollar coin. Mikan could recognize this stone, her father had given her one before. It was an Alice stone, a fragment of a person's Alice abilities that allowed another to use it, but it shrinks each time it was used, until it disappears. Rika's other hand was holding on to Aoi's, who was clearly trying to not cry at the sight of her brother leaving.

"Nii-chan! Aoi will wait for you!" She shrieked.

It seemed like he chose to leave her behind with Yuki-san, then. Mikan grinned back at Rika one last time and bid her farewell.

Now that the village was behind them, there was no looking back.

Unknown to them, somewhere, hidden from view, an Official stumbled into the forest to make his escape. The rest were probably a goner. _They said they would try toerase our memories. They said that girl was the princess. They said she had the Nullification Alice. Their last hope. I need to warn them…_ and he disappeared into the darkness as well.


	9. Journey

Alright.

I give my readers permission to slap me.

So it's been more than a month since the last chapter, and I'm so terribly sorry for this long wait! T^T School began in July and you have no idea what my life had been like. I'm so sleep deprived and busy with 100 things to handle all the time D: I feel horrible for letting all of you wait so long [I know how painful waiting for a new upload can be] but I think the situation will remain for quite some time, until about October or November D: If I really tried, I can possibly make slightly more frequent updates, though the posts would be relatively short. Would you all like that? :D I've been writing this whenever I had time to spare, so I pieced it together about a paragraph a day or so. This is more like a filler sort of chapter, but I promise it is important =v=

It's already chapter 9, and thank you so much for supporting me all the way ^^ _**I will be doing a shout out to ALL my followers and favs in chapter 10 to celebrate the occasion so look forward to it yeah!~ **_

** PhoenixOtaku**, I'm so sorry ahaha it was a typo and I've fixed it already! Hope you had fun reading GA[despite the rushed ending and all]. Well Aoi knows that her brother is only taking on the journey for their sake ;) Read on~!

** HQ-pyon**, HAHAHAHA you have no idea how happy your reviews always make me! To have fans who actually fangirl over my writings is really amazing Thank you for your huge support and I'm sorry to have you wait for such a long time! :/

** Michan-natsu, K-Chan's Kisses and HeartArcFantasy21**, Thank you for faith in me! I'm back again, though not for long, I'm gonna try my best to make this another chapter that you guys will like!

Enough said. Enjoy this chapter and leave me a review to tell me what you think! :D [I really won't mind it if you decide to follow/fav it, really I don't ;D ;D]

Till next time,  
Daisukibearr :)

* * *

**Chapter 9: Journey**

"Dad? How long would it take to get there?" Mikan asked without looking at her father. She was much too distracted by her natural surroundings. She had never been out of the village (unless you count her forest adventures) and now she was there, surrounded by lush forests, with Autumn covering them like a blanket. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze, whispering to each other and showered golden sparkles down once in a while. If you look closer, you could see squirrels and other furry creatures hiding out amongst the trees. Well, other than those resting on Ruka's head or shoulder, or tagging behind him.

"About 3 more days, I guess?" Shiki surveyed his surroundings, obviously paying more caution than his daughter.

"Hmph. With you dragging us down, I'd say we'll even take WEEKS."

Mikan felt her eyebrows twitch again in annoyance.

"What did you just say?! You're really rude you know! If you don't like my pace, get back to the village!" She snapped back.

"We'll just leave you behind."

"Shut up."

"Pig."

"Loser."

"Ugly, fat girl."

"Scumbag."

"BAKA-BAKA!"

"Ouch!"

Now it was Hotaru's turn for her eyebrows to twitch in frustration. Seriously, the two of them have been at each other the minute, wait, even **before** they took one step out of the village. And it was already the second day out. They were bickering over the smallest things, calling each other names like children and making so much noise. Noise. Hotaru hated that word.

So she decided to shut them up with her gun, and of course Natsume would dodge it effortlessly, while the bullets hit Mikan's face square and accurate, while Ruka smiled apologetically.

"Daddy, why did you even let him follow?" Mikan whined like an injured puppy, still rubbing her sore head.

_Sigh._"He has his reasons," Shiki glanced back at the group of children following him. He analyzed the situation a little in his mind.

So he had an angsty teenage daughter, who also happened to be the Princess of Alicean, acting as if they were out on a picnic. And she's the reason why they left, she was the one they are going to be after in a while, and yet now she's the only one still marveling at the trees. Not to mention she most likely still had hardly any control over her Alice. In summary, she's a troublemaker.

And there's another teenage girl. Except she was probably not angsty, but cool, calm, collected. Add deep and dark and violent to the list. She just hit his daughter with a gun. Invention Alice huh? At least she seemed to know what she was doing, and she could be a peacekeeper and be used to pacify the Princess. If only she would show more expressions instead of walking straight on. Maybe she would prove herself capable of battles, or even reveal more useful inventions along their journey. In summary, a little stonic, but somehow she seemed a little more reliable.

Blond hair, blue eyed youngster. Looking like he was a tree, with all those squirrels clinging onto his shirt. So far, he had been cooperative, and it seemed like as long as his friend was here, he was here to stay too. That's already quite something. This journey would not be a short an easy excursion at all (_contrary to Mikan's belief)_ and it was nice of him to stay so loyal to his friend. Oh well. If they ever ran out of food, it'll be worth to get one of those bunnies or squirrels. In summary, harmless pretty boy. So far.

And the last one. There was something in his eyes that told Shiki to keep quiet about his reasons for joining, even though Mikan was the only one who didn't know…

"_So you are just going to leave this place, as if we didn't know the Princess existed, and then go off and hide your ass?" Natsume banged the dining table at which Shiki was still packing his things._

"_I don't know. I have to see what she wanted to do." _

_Natsume could feel his fists balling up at his side. This kind of cowardly behaviour sickened him the most. Running away to save yourselves. Not helping those in need to keep out of trouble. Even though he and Aoi almost DIED. _

_Shiki could feel the tension rising in the air. It had only been about 10 minutes since Mikan stormed out of the house, and now he had to face another group of equally troublesome children. _

"_What's your route going to be like, roughly?" Hotaru interrupted, pointing at the map._

"_If we ever manage to convince her, we will be slowly heading towards the capital. Taking the path east to Rosewell. Across this area, and past Valfort into the entrance of Ashview, the capital." Shiki replied, merely gesturing towards the map, still troubled over Mikan's outburst._

"_Valfort?" Ruka frowned a little at that sensitive word. He shrugged a little and looked over at Natsume._

"_That's where they keep their Alice prisoners whenever they find any. Whenever they needed them, they would use them before dumping them back into their cellars. Not the first time you've heard of the term, eh?" Solemnly, Shiki slumped into his chair._

_He looked to see the raven lad with a pained expression on his face. His body had tensed up, and his fist clenched so hard it began to turn red. In a corner, Aoi Hyuuga was already dozing off with her friend. _

"_You know, she could be still there." Shiki simply said. _

_Just like Natsume, he would never forget the day they took Igarashi Kaoru away. The empty eyes of the villagers staring straight though them as if they were ghosts. A family torn apart within seconds. Kaoru begging, pleading for someone to help to look out for the Hyuugas while he tried to restrain a young Natsume from going after his mother. He had, too felt the urge to kick their butts right there, but he knew that it would mean the end for the secret he was keeping. Mikan was watching right there, beside him, one hand clutching hard onto the edge of his shirt. Kaoru would kill him if he decided to react and endanger the last thing Izumi and Yuka tried to protect, and what they had sworn to protect on behalf of them as well. It was not easier for a child to watch his mother taken away, than watching your childhood best friend being towed away, and all you could do was to ball up your fist and curse under your breath._

"_No, Natsume. I don't like what you're thinking," Ruka placed a hand on his shoulder, only to be shrugged off by Natsume. He had remained silent, as though deep in thought, and from that point onwards, Shiki knew he had more teenage companions to entertain in the future._

That fiery determination. On one hand, he had already demonstrated his sharp reflexes and control over his Alice. Not the expressive type either. But you could just sense it in him. He knew what he signed up for, and was prepared to go all out for it. Pretty impressive for his age. But the amount of hatred and power he had may prove to be more of a problem than an asset in the future. He may be a deadly weapon that could hurt both sides.

Somehow, he felt that perhaps making this journey was more like babysitting kids, and maybe he should have found a way to stay there after all.

* * *

"I'm saying, that they really did protest and fight back against us! Don't you remember anything at all?!"

"What are you saying? Are you stupid? You think we are that weak to be caught by these smelly bunch of beggars? And what's with that mob of reinforcements behind you?" The head official of RedWood barked at his subordinate.

They found themselves sleeping on their training ground a few hours ago. They could not remember how they ended up there, but they must have had vigorous trainings or long reports to the King to write. Otherwise, why would all the officials in the town be sleeping together in a heap? But here he was, looking at the one subordinate that was not there.

He brought a bunch of other lazy officials from the nearest outpost with him, and he was claiming that they were all defeated yesterday by the angry mob of RedWood citizens, and that they had all been tied up and defeated at the Assembly. But the thing is, the morning's Assembly had just ended. Without a hitch. Or protestation. Whatsoever. The villagers were probably relieved that there were no Punishments that day.

"Look, Mako, the RedWood villagers. They are wimps. They would NEVER attack us. And what hazel haired Nullifier have you been talking about? There is no such person in the registry! Nobody with brown hair! Nor is there a house at the back of the forest. Or some red eyed kid or eagle controlling boy! Now get the reinforcements back to their posts, and stop disrupting our duties. Or I'll have to include that in my daily report and I hate writing reports." He dismissed him coldy.

There was a loud groan coming from the reinforcements, to be urgently deployed, travelled miles as fast as they could, only to be going back to where they had come from. Well, the reports from Mako were already suspicious enough. What Nullifier? He must be drunk from partying.

"Wait, I'm telling you, she existed! I think her name was Masachika! I came back to save you guys!"

Get moving before i'm pissed off!" The Head Official barked before he turned and left a dumbfounded Mako with a mob of complaining reinforcements.

"_Kija-san's memory extraction worked,"_ Aya nodded slightly at the rest of the eavesdropping villagers.

* * *

"If we continue at this pace, we should reach in about 2 days." Ruka announced as he stretched out his arm, letting a tiny bird soar into the sky from his arm.

"The birds said we were on the right path." He smiled a little at the rest.

"Hooray! I really love Ruka-kun's Alice. It's so useful. And cute." Mikan chirped, equally excited as the animals following them while Ruka scratched his head at the compliments. Hotaru was beginning to wonder if this would attract too much attention on themselves, but when the animals came and offered some berries or fruits they had picked, she figured out it would not matter.

"The sun would be setting soon. Let us find a resting spot. Good work today, children."

While Mikan continued to hum noisily and out of tune on her journey, she caught sight of a small sea of ruby red, slowly coming into view. In the group, she was the only one who had taken notice, and this sea of rubies materialized into a sea of shimmering red, dainty flowers. The way it bent in the slight chills of the Autumn winds and the sweet alluring scent that tickled her nose. Mikan felt her hand unconsciously reach out to feel one of those petals, to see if they were as smooth as they looked.

Until they burst into red, but this time, the red of the flames eating away the flowers and burning them down to their roots. Mikan backed off as she jumped from the sudden rise in temperature and the cracking of the flowers. And there was only one way for a fire to explode into life then.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She bellowed with rage at the raven headed boy. "Stop! Stop! You're killing them!" She attempted to approach the burning bush to try and salvage the flowers, giving into the blaze and crumbling to the ground in fine ashes.

"I said stop, didn't I?!"

Mikan lunged for Natsume and the instant she grabbed hold of him, the fire went out with a quick sizzle. Her hand was raised into a fist, threatening to kiss his face with her wrath as she continued screaming into his face. "THEY DIED! Look what you've done! What in the world is wrong with you?" Natsume merely grunted and had no response. If Shiki had not stepped between them, Mikan would have landed a blow onto that sorry face of Natsume Hyuuga. Even if he might have dodged it in the end.

"I mean it. If the two of you do not stop fighting, I will put up barriers around the both of you. Then you will really be stuck to each other. Forever."

"But Dad! He, he KILLED the flowers!" Mikan wailed, struggling and charging forward, still not giving up on giving Natsume his punishment.

"BAKA-BAKA!"

Then there was only the sound of Mikan crouched on the ground once again, with a bump on her forehead.

"Are you stupid? Of course he burnt it. That flower you almost touched, ANYBODY would know to stay away from it!" Hotaru snorted as she did not remove her arm, ready to fire another shot at Mikan to keep her down.

"What? Why?"

"That's a really poisonous flower back there, Mikan-san. Don't you know? It's known as Foxfire. It may be a pretty flower, but its sap is lethal and the cure for it is really hard to obtain. If you ever get it inside your body, it'll hurt a lot, then you die in a week or two." Ruka tried to calm her down.

Rubbing her butt and struggling to get back on her feet, Mikan felt her face turn even redder than the Foxfires or the flames that consumed them earlier. She had been trying really hard not to cause trouble to the group already, but it seemed that all she ever did was really make noise, quarrel with Natsume Hyuuga, and being generally useless. Ruka was a big bonus with his Alice of course, and Hotaru's inventions always came in handy. Even Natsume helped to set up fires at night. Her dad was the main guide. And what was she? She almost got killed by a flower.

"Stupid," Natsume hissed into her face. This time, she had no right to get back at him.

Shiki shook his head and sighed for another time. He hurried them along, and Mikan hadn't dared to utter another word for the rest of the time.

* * *

_She was having that dream again. _

_She was running nowhere. People around her were all screaming, and there was the stink of blood. The city was blanketed in red-not just by the fire, but the death. The crimson red blood. The cries. She didn't know what she was doing there, nobody seemed to notice her. Where was she anyway? It appeared to be like some castle. She was panting heavily and she ran aimlessly. She didn't want to look down at her feet. She didn't want to look at the poor woman in the corner begging for her life. She didn't want to be here. But she found her feet slowing down as she realised the screams grew softer, that she could no longer see the orange flames licking at the city and she could hear herself hurtling across the hard pavement. And there were the faint cries of an infant, followed by sobs, somewhere, deep behind one of these rooms. This is when she would feel her heart being twisted, as if someone was crushing it in their palms. The cry. It was packed with so much pain…anguish, that she could feel it. It was not that those defending soldiers or maids out there didn't cry, or that she didn't feel for them. This cry, it was like it was calling out to her. It was this cry again._

_But this time, she could hear the voices of others in the room as well. "Take her and go now. Keep her safe, please. I beg of you…" It was a woman's voice. Her voice was packed with pain and desperation. _

And just before she was about to find out their identity, she woke up again. Covered in perspiration, of course.

Panting, she sat up from her sleeping bag, one hand clutching her chest. That's right. They were in the forest, and it was already night time. Mikan could still hear the crackling of the fire and the gentle stirring of her other companions. The forest was brimming with life though. She could hear the faint sounds of the animals and whispering trees. Deciding that she could not go back to sleep, she got up and walked across to the flickering flame, only to see her father still tending to it.

"Hey," She whispered.

"Why are you up? Can't sleep?"

"Same goes for you. I had that dream again." She plopped herself down next to her father and held her knees close to her. For a while, the pair sat in silence. One gazing at the moon and the other concentrating on the fire.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What was my Dad like?"

Shiki looked up from the fire and into the eyes of his daughter. He wasn't sure how to react to her sudden question.

"Uhh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked…" Mikan thought that maybe it was a sensitive topic. I mean, asking the father she had known about her real father? It can be hurtful. The silence may be proving that.

"Your father. He was an amazing man." Mikan looked up and heard her father began.

"I actually met your mother first. Then we met your father, Izumi, when he was being chased by bandits in the market. He was just an ordinary boy, and we would have never guessed that under his commoner appearance was the Prince of Alicean."

"Apparently he snuck out because he was bored. He didn't tell us he was the prince until we got approached by a mob of soldiers from the capital. Haha, those were the days. From that day onwards, he came out often to play with us. Life in the castle seemed pretty sad. He told us we were the first friends he had made, and that was when we found out about his secret Alice as well. He had absolutely no sense of danger." Shiki's face had softened a lot by now, and his grin was unconsciously getting wider and wider.

"But he's a really headstrong person. He was loyal, trustworthy, and he never ever went back on his promises. Quite a goofy guy as well. He jumped around and is full of energy and life. He's a little like you, you know. Always so noisy. Never serious. I think he only matured into a man when he started going after your Mom. And subsequently the throne as well. He was one of the most amazing and courageous people I have and will ever meet."

"What about Mom?"

At this, Shiki actually laughed out a little.

"Yuka? Yuka has got to be the clumsiest person I have ever met. She's even more clumsy than you are, Mikan. She could trip and fall over herself, and she's always bumping into things. But she's generally quieter and more serene compared to your noisy father. She was my longest childhood friend, I can't even remember when and how I met her. She was already in my life before I knew it. Although she's quiet, your mother had often amazed me with her strength. Her inner strength. Her heart was always ready to forgive anyone and everyone. She never held grudges, and is gullible. I think that's how she fell for Izumi's lame wooing techniques. She only sees the most genuine side of people, and she's just…beautiful, your mother. They came a long way in their relationship, but they didn't give up once. When the castle heard that the Prince wanted to marry a commoner, boy did they explode. But the two of them, they just held onto each other and carried on. Even I disagreed at first, because I know how hard the castle life will be, especially since she's already looked down before even entering it. She's the reason why I worked to be a royal guard, you know. I want her to be happy. I want the two of them to be happy."

And then his face fell a little, just slightly, as if he remembered about his failed hopes. He turned back to his daughter.

"She entrusted me to you. You do know that you are an exact replica of your mother, don't you?" He patted her head.

Hearing Shiki speak of her parents made her feel at ease. She could feel the love he had for her parents, just by hearing that soothing voice he used. It was comforting to know that her parents had been loved so much before.

Slowly, Shiki rose from to his feet.

"Now, hurry to bed. Rosewell's tomorrow."

"Good night, Dad."


	10. Ambush

Guess who is back? The term's coming to an end, so I'm free for about a few days before I start battling the last exams for the year :) I'm sorry this is rather short :/ Rest assured though, I will update regularly after my exams! They end early October Wish me luck!

As promised, I really really want to thank the following people~

_Akirina__, __Amari Mizuki__, __Aragaki Yui__, __ChocoStar__, __Gosi-chan 08__, __HJaNa__, __HQ-pyon__, __HeartArcFantasy21__, __InfinityMask__, __K-chan's Kisses__, __LexaStarr__, __MNZ612__, __MelodyKey__, __MichaelJean__, __Milkyway98__, __MrGoogle__, __Mystique0831__, __Octaves__, __PhoenixOtaku__, __PrincessAzuki__, __PureSakura1999__, __RenneX__, __Roxii Like A Puma__, __SakuraKamichama, __SapphireInTheSky__, __Sawada Yuki__, __Shinagi__, __SnowStar145__, __TheNinjaKitsune__, __alluringmelodies__, __, __aniAngelxx__, __bottled happiness__, __gabsterela__, __hana-hime-sama__, __ipn1115__, __kandlelighteve__, __ .angel__, __michan-natsu__, __natxmilove__, __mooshy3712__, __spica14__, __squareecircleee__, __toocoolfornoschool__, __xXCrimson-SakuraOo_, _Blackbutterfly girl__, __OurHopelessWorld_

I cannot have done this without all of you, so thank really, for believing in this story's potential and all ^^

**michan-natsu****, ****K-chan's Kisses**** , Guest, ****HJaNa****, ****A Angel With The Devil's Heart****: **thank you so much for reviewing and waiting for me to update!

**HQ-pyon****: **Always good to hear from you! :D I promise I will finish this story hahaha maybe halfway through this story I will even start another one, BUT I won't forget about this one so stay tuned :3

Loveee,  
Daisuki Bear :)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Ambush**

"Hiroshi, where's the report today?"

"Here you go, your majesty. You have a Council's meeting later, as well as civilian patrol. There were some new Alices added to our collection last night; I should be receiving a detailed report later."

King Kuonji smirked a little, with his head propped up with hand on the armrest. He took a glance at the documents before giving it a quick scribble of approval. Finally some new toys for him.

"Would you like to head down personally?"

"Of course. When have i not paid a visit to my dear pets?" He merely laughed.

"Yes, your majesty."

The King took a quick glance down the window and into the palace grounds.

"Say, where's the prince?" He sighed.

Hiroshi hurriedly dug out a file and went down the list. 'His history lesson should be starting in a few minutes.' He adjusted his spectacles. After a moment of silence, he continued. 'Perhaps he would remember it today.'

Kuonji merely shook his head in annoyance. 'This heir of mine is NEVER in the palace. Get him back as soon as possible!' He got up and left the room as Hiroshi bowed after him.

"Understood."

* * *

"You sure this is the right way?" Hotaru rolled her eyes once again as she stepped over a puddle of water. "You said we would be reaching today, and where exactly are we?" She was growing impatient. These forest tracks were not easy to move around in, and having been stuck in there for a few days sure got her fed up.

"I haven't been here in a long time," Shiki admitted. "It's been at least 15 years since I last stepped here."

"Why would you come here anyway? You said you lived in the Capital." Mikan whined as she continued to move along.

"Queens do a little bit of Civilian patrol. And Yuka is weird, she even bothered coming to these rural villages at the other side of the country. Do you know what she said? She said it was exciting. It must be exciting to have someone carry you over these mud instead of walking on them." He laughed a little at that.

"Your mother is a weird person." Hotaru agreed.

"Hey! She's not weird." Mikan pouted.

Right above them, without their knowledge, were 4 pairs of eyes staring at them from amongst the trees. The 4 pairs of eyes belonged to a girl and 3 other boys hidden beneath the trees. The girl gestured for them to move on, and all of them landed swiftly onto the neighbouring tree. They have been keeping their eyes on them for a while now. They had received word that visitors were approaching their village and as a protocol, they had been sent out in secret to identify their purpose. Right now, it seemed like their mission was failing.

"I don't think they are merchants. Some sort of travellers?" One boy whispered to the other.

"That's what we're here to find out. Wait for my cue if we need to take action. If they are too suspicious, just attack. We can take on 4 kids for sure. Stay low. They are starting to pick up on us."

* * *

"Isn't it strange, that we haven't seen a soul since Red Wood?" Ruka whispered to Natsume, earning him a cold shrug. Ruka frowned a little as Natsume continued without saying anything. He had noticed that Natsume kept glancing at the trees behind them from time to time. But every time he looked, there was nothing there. Just to make sure, he whispered a little to the squirrel resting on his shoulder and it took off behind them while Natsume walked on.

There was definitely something following them for a good distance. Natsume had his doubts, but now he was convinced. They had been following them for a while now, hiding amongst the trees. And their follower was not alone. Since they had yet to take action, they must be observing them, and Natsume was going to limit conversation and attention-grabbing actions for precaution. But travelling with a loudmouth princess did not really help.

What's worse, now that he realised she had slowed down her pace to be walking beside him?

"Um, Hyuuga-kun?"

"Hn." He could only roll his eyes. Here it goes again.

"Um, sorry I tried to attack you yesterday. I was being…alright, I was being stupid and I'm sorry I got angry at you even though you were saving me." She blushed while keeping her eyes on the floor. When the reply that came was just silence, she looked up and realised Natsume was not walking beside her anymore. He had lagged behind.

"Hey, were you even listening to what I said?" She pouted once more and crossed her arms.

"Here I am, apologising to you, and there you were, not even paying attention? You think it's easy for me to bow my head down to a jerk like you?" Mikan hissed at him. He wasn't even looking at her. She watched as his eyes widened slightly at the direction of the trees above them.

"Move!"

"Move what?"

And that was when it all erupted. Tens of birds shot into the sky, shrieking their warnings with great rustling of the fallen leaves that littered the floor. Mikan felt something kind of presence pounce on her and knocked her down on the floor. The pain of the impact gushed up her as she winced under the heavy weight. She slowly opened her eyes to see Natsume Hyuuga. On top of her.

* * *

"What the-?" She was about to flare up once again when she saw an arrow piercing through the exact same spot she had stood before.

"AMBUSH!" Natsume scrambled to his feet (Mikan felt like she was able to breathe again) while she heard footsteps of her other running companions. She was quickly pulled up by Ruka and Shiki gestured for her and Hotaru to step away. Hotaru already had her Baka Gun loaded up and ready to take aim.

"There had been someone following us. I sent the birds," Ruka said as he reached out his arm for a few birds to perch on his shoulder.

Another arrow came straight for them as they huddled around in a formation. This time though, it had bounced off the barrier that Shiki had created around them.

"Who's there?" Shiki bellowed into the distance.

There were more rustling of leaves and 4 figures emerged from the trees and did perfect jumps and flips off their hiding place, each putting up a stance in a corner. There was 1 girl and the rest of them were boys. They were just…teenagers. One of them even looked like he was their age.

The girl had wavy, shoulder length brown hair that was tied messily into a ponytail that hung from the side, and she had kept a straight face. The other boy had messily black hair that partially covered his eyes. He wore a smirk and had a star shaped scare underneath his right eye. The boy that looked as old as them wore a silly grin, and he just kept a smiling face at them that was starting to creep them out. Finally, the tallest looking guy also had black hair, but his eyes were a deep shade of emerald green, and not to forget he was carrying arrows and his left hand clutching a bow.

"Oh, we have a Barrier Alice here! Just like Hii-sama." The archer smirked a little as he stared into the frightened faces of the group. He got them cornered after all. "And we know that that little guy there could talk to animals. So my guess is…Animal Pheromone."

Shiki stood in front of the group protectively. "Who are you? What the hell do you want?" He demanded. These kids are definitely not Capellean Officials, they are dressed more like…bandits. But what would bandits want from them?

"Relax. Just here to check out that you guys aren't threatening." The other dark haired boy spoke. "But it looks like we are not peace loving, are we?"

"We are just a group of travellers! These are my family. This is my daughter, and these are my nephews and niece," Shiki sweat dropped as he tried to weave up an excuse.

"No they aren't. She is your daughter, but the rest are definitely not related to you. You made that up just now." Laughed the grinning boy. "Don't curse in your head either." He continued his stare without blinking, the grin still on his face, amused by the apparent horror on Shiki's face.

"Well, since you people are suspicious _Alices_, you have no choice but to come with us."

* * *

The girl was the first one to jump into action. With a confident smile on her face, she charged straight for Ruka, holding something that glinted under the sun…a dagger. Ruka quickly rolled out of the way, but she made a swift U-turn and she was on him again. Natsume was definitely not going to let her slice up his best friend. With a hand raised, he was ready to send a fireball whizzing into her hair when he felt something tug at him. He tried to see what was the cause, but realised that he was immobolised. He could not turn his head.

"Hyuuga!" he could make out Mikan's voice shouting from behind him.

"Don't come here, idiot!"

He felt his body began to twitch and dragged before it started to move slowly without his will. What in the world is happening?

The guy with the star-shaped tattoo stood triumphantly in front of him and twirled his fingers a little. Moving his eyes a little, Natsume could see him stepping on a large patch of darkness on the ground in front of him.

His shadow.

"Ooh, a fire caster! I'm a shadow manipulator. You're trapped now and you can't move! Want to see what else I can do?" The guy in front of him squatted down lazily and immediately, Natsume felt his body do the same. He was then made to do a series of twirls. And then a few jumps.

Natsume Hyuuga could hear a few camera shots being taken and felt his temple twitch in fury. This shadow moron has been making a fool out of him, and what exactly is that Imai doing in this situation? He thought they were on the same side! He sure had heard of her weird blackmailing ways back in school, but he did not expect her to be like that when everyone else was in a pinch. No doubt, he was going to burn up those pictures. But first, he had to take care of this stupid shadow person and salvaging his already tarnished image could come after that.

Meanwhile, the archer guy had been sending arrows flying in all directions, although most were deflected by Shiki's barrier. Shiki noticed that the arrows were not ordinary arrows. They sort of sparked a little upon landing on the ground. Electricity, maybe? Shiki had been trying to work up a plan in his head. He could easily deflect them all with his barrier, but that would mean that Ruka may be trapped outside the barrier, seeing as he had been chased around by that girl. He could only grit his teeth and activate a weaker version of his barrier, one that reduced Alice attacks and cuts their power. Based on ability and physical stamina, he knew that the foursome could and would outlast them if this confrontation would to go a bit further. He swiftly dodged another arrow that whizzed past his ear. This teenager had the flair for archery—He is deliberately aiming for weak spots. It seemed that the orders were for them to be captured alive. Is he an Alice? If this troublesome guy in front of him had an Alice though, why would he depend on archery as his main weapon?

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at the grinning boy in front of her.

"Not really a combat type, are you?" She scoffed.

"Don't call me an idiot, although I get that a lot." He continued grinning.

"I didn't." _I just thought it in my head._

"Yeah, and I can read thoughts."

Hotaru raised her other eyebrow, then continued staring at him nonchalantly, her hands polishing her baka gun after putting her camera aside. He just stood there, seemingly blissfully unaware of her next action.

Ruka Nogi, however, was not having a peace loving opponent. Heck, it was embarrassing enough that he had to face off with a girl, and even more embarrassing that he realised he was on the losing end. She just kept charging at him mindlessly with that dagger in her hand. But something in her eyes told him that she had no killing intent. She just wanted to scare them a little, or possible injure him. He did not even dare to call out to any animals for help. What if they got cut by that sharp thing? Finally, he spun around and whistled into the air. Above the sky, a soaring eagle darted downwards and Ruka made a quick hop for it as he clung to the edges of the metal ring the eagle clasped between its claws as they took off higher into the air. He was going to make a dive onto that girl, grab her dagger and use it against her once and for all.

He could see the girl's shocked face as he made a quick leap and dove to the ground, landing right on top of her and hearing her howl in pain as he pinned her down to the floor.

"STOP!" His yell echoed through the air, stopping all battles.

"One more move and she's gone!" He warned the rest of them. But to his surprise, her team mates didn't seem to care much. Smiley guy even burst into a hearty laugh.

"Misaki's not that weak." He gasped between giggles.

As Ruka turned back to face his opponent, he paled when he realised that the image of the girl below him was grinning as well. He felt something yank on him instead and he released his dagger in shock. He was twisted around before something jumped onto him.

He was in a reverse situation right now. The girl was now the one pinning him down.

"But that can't be, the dagger, it's…it's" Ruka struggled underneath her weight while his free right hand clawed the ground for the dagger that he had accidentally let go earlier. He remembered distinctly that the dagger had flew a flown a few metres away; its clinging sounds a few moments ago verified that. So where did this dagger in her hand possibly come from?

The girl on top of Ruka had a proud smug on her face, mocking his expression, the dagger just hovering a few inches away from his face.

"Ruka!" He could hear Natsume shouting in the distance. Natsume was still stuck doing a series of weird actions while his opponent sat lazily on ground and gave a half yawn.

At the same time, Mikan was once again, feeling powerless. She had tried to help Natsume but was immediately dismissed. She knew her dad would not want her involved in all that shooting. Hotaru was not in danger, merely firing her baka gun in annoyance as her opponent just giggled and dodged them with ease.

Not wanting to seem useless then, she leapt forward, towards where Ruka was held down and attempted to tackle the girl down instead.

But somehow, Mikan gasped as the girl managed to grab hold of her arms and twist it so that she was now being held hostage as well, another dagger threatening the veins on her neck.

And Mikan Masachika had failed to do anything once again.

"Mikan!" She could hear Shiki and Hotaru yelling simultaneously.

That was when she realised something was wrong.

The girl was definitely holding her down, that's for sure. Then who is that girl pinning Ruka against the floor?

Did they have a hidden accomplice?

"I'm a doppelganger Alice. I can make copies of myself and anything else." The girl whispered into her left ear while tightening her grip on Mikan.

"Back off! I have two of your companions!" She yelled at the rest of them. "Drop your attacks or else!"

The remaining three gritted their teeth as they realised they had no choice.

"That's my girl!" The shadow alice cheered.

_If only I could get out of this stupid shadow thing, i would burn her to death!_

Natsume saw Shiki dropping his guard and stopped trying to struggle against the shadow alice. From the corner of his eye though, he could see Hotaru giving him a look. Before she dropped her weapon in surrender, she aimed it at his opponent-who had his back facing her- and fired.

The bullet soared through the air and knocked him clean on the head.

The split second advantage Hotaru had created was more than enough. As his opponent howled in pain, Natusme Hyuuga felt the adreline rush-a sign that the alice on him had weakened.

Mikan could smell the burning of hair as her opponent gasped in shock when her hair burst ablaze. Mikan managed to slip out of her grasp while her captor tried to extinguish the fire.

Nastume was meanwhile, charging for the still restrained Ruka with a fireball in his hand, ready to toss. But when Mikan looked past him and saw an arrow being pulled, she saw how it was aimed straight at Natsume. Her father had taken action as well, leaping foward to jump in front, but the arrow had already left the bow and was slicing through the air.

"NO!"

The last thing she remembered after seeing the arrow was her scream, and a bright light.

* * *

Hotaru Imai had never been so shocked the second time in her life. First was when she found out Mikan was a princess. She watched the scene unfolding before her eyes and couldn't help but gape at it.

One second it had been hovering in the air and the next her sight had been blinded by a brilliant flash-amidst the flash, a scream was echoed through the forest. Now Hotaru rubbed her eyes painfully and staggered to regain composure, only to see those around her, collapsed and all groaning in pain.

"Ow…ow!" She could roughly make out the various sounds of agony, whether from the opponent or not she was not sure. She blinked a few times and could make out the shape of Natsume crouching on the ground, the arrow nowhere to be seen. The girl had lost her grip over Ruka as he took the chance to break free although he was in pain as well. Shiki had lost his balance but was quickly back on his feet again.

"What the hell?" The archer spat. "Tsubasa, Misaki, Koko, you guys alright?"

"I'm fine. What was that? Sorry he slipped past me! Right, now to get back the shadows…" Tsubasa did a flip and landed right on top of Natsume's shadow, much to the fire caster's horror. "Now, do 20 back flips!" He happily exclaimed.

Natsume expected his body to start moving on its own accord again, but this time nothing happened. They stood there just staring at each other, before Natsume realised that somehow, the shadow alice had failed its user. Before Tsubasa could react, Natsume advanced. With a snap of his fingers, he lit up a fireball at his fingertips.

But this fire he created was so much smaller than his usual flame. This one was hardly considered a flame; it was more like a spark. Before Natsume even had time to examine the problem, it was out as fast as it had come, all that was left was thin trail of smoke snaking its way into the atmosphere.

What just happened?

Natsume snapped his fingers again. The same thing happened. Once. Twice. Thrice. Had he lost his Alice?

"I can't use my Alice!" He whipped his head to see the girl, whose name was probably Misaki, panting and trying to stand up. "I can't make any doppelgangers! They dissolve before they can take any form!" She said, scrambling to her feet.

"I feel weird too, like someone just punched my guts and sucked out my energy." Even Ruka had responded badly to the situation. He was finally out of Misaki's grasp, but wobbled as he stood up.

It was as if all of them had been struck down by an invisible hurricane spell.

Mikan opened her eyes back into the world, except now she found herself collapsed on the floor. What just happened? All she remembered was a surge of warmth bursting inside and outside of her, trying to stop that arrow from stabbing Natsume, before she closed her eyes screamed when she realised she might not make it after all.

Now she woke up to find herself collapsed on the grass, still at the same place, but great fatigue overcoming her as tried to lift herself up. Her head was throbbing with ache and she could not feel her limbs or see straight. She tried to get up by supporting herself with her hands on the group, but fell into a heap with a groan again. Every part of her body felt like it was boiling. The beating of her heart had amplified itself loud enough for her to actually hear it in her ears. This must be what it felt like to have Natsume Hyuuga setting a fire on you and laughing when you are half alive, only that he was not.

"Mikan, are you ok?" Shiki's voice rang out in Mikan's head.

"No! I can't feel myself." Came her weak reply.

Seeing that she was the last to get up, and she still had trouble getting up, whatever that had affected them must have had double the effect on Mikan. He could also feel his barrier fading in power whenever he tried to set it up in place.

Hotaru had seemed the least affected, seeing as she was just blinded by the light, not losing her energy. But why?

As if they were connected by some secret telepathy, all 4 of them-Ruka, Natsume, Hotaru and Shiki turned their heads to where Mikan was. The same thought had run through their minds.

_She nullified them all. And us too._


End file.
